Nigerian sectarian violence
Encyclopedia
Nigerian Sharia conflict is an armed conflict of militant groups, different representatives of religious groupings and the government of Nigeria
.
According to a Nigerian study on demographics
and Religion
, Muslims
make up 50.5% of the population. They mainly live in the North of the country. The majority of the Nigerian Muslims are Sunnis. Christians
are the second-largest religious groups and make up 48.2% of the population. They predominate in the centre and in the South of the country, whereas adherents of other religions make up 1.4 %.
As Muslims narrowly form the majority of the population, many of them demand to introduce the Sharia
- the Islamic law - as main source of legislation. 12 Northern states have introduced sharia as base of the executive and the judiciary in the years 1999 and 2000.
In the following 9 states the Sharia has full validity:
In the following states the sharia is valid for areas with a mainly Muslim population:
and Muslims
in Jos
, Nigeria
about the appointment of a Muslim politician, Alhaji Muktar Mohammed, to the local coordinator federal programme to fight poverty. The riots began on 7 September, lasted nearly two weeks and ended on 17 September. More than 1000 people were killed because of the riots.
In 2010, more than 500 people were killed by religious violence in Jos
.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
According to a Nigerian study on demographics
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
and Religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, Muslims
Islam in Nigeria
Fifty percent of the population of Nigeria adheres to Islam, compared to Christianity which represents 40% of the population. Islam came to Northern Nigeria as early as the 9th century CE, and was well established in the Kanem-Bornu Empire during the reign of Humme Jilmi...
make up 50.5% of the population. They mainly live in the North of the country. The majority of the Nigerian Muslims are Sunnis. Christians
Christianity in Nigeria
Christianity is a major religion in Nigeria accounting for about 50% of the population. Based on a 2003Nigerian Religious and Demographic survey, Christians comprised 48.2% of the Nigerian population. Christians are dominant in the southern and central region in Nigeria...
are the second-largest religious groups and make up 48.2% of the population. They predominate in the centre and in the South of the country, whereas adherents of other religions make up 1.4 %.
As Muslims narrowly form the majority of the population, many of them demand to introduce the Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
- the Islamic law - as main source of legislation. 12 Northern states have introduced sharia as base of the executive and the judiciary in the years 1999 and 2000.
Background
In the North of the country are numerous Muslim groups, which want to introduce sharia in the whole country. In the states of the North these demands have been executed in 1999 and 2001.In the following 9 states the Sharia has full validity:
- ZamfaraZamfara StateZamfara State is a state in northwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Gusau and its Governor is Abdul'aziz Abubakar Yari, a member of the All Nigeria Peoples Party . Until 1996 the area was part of Sokoto State....
(27 January 2000) - KanoKano StateKano State is a state located in North-Western Nigeria. Created on May 27, 1967 from part of the Northern Region, Kano state borders Katsina State to the north-west, Jigawa State to the north-east, Bauchi State to the south-east and Kaduna State to the south-west...
(21 June 2000) - SokotoSokoto StateSokoto State is located in the extreme northwest of Nigeria, near to the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2005 it has an estimated population of more than 4.2 million...
- KatsinaKatsina StateKatsina State is a state in northern Nigeria. Its capital is Katsina, and its governor is Ibrahim Shema, a member of the People's Democratic Party...
- BauchiBauchi StateBauchi State is a State in northern Nigeria. Its capital is the city of Bauchi. The state was formed in 1976 when the former North-Eastern State was broken up...
(June, 2001) - BornoBorno StateBorno State is a state in north-eastern Nigeria. Its capital is Maiduguri. The state was formed in 1976 from the split of the North-Eastern State...
- JigawaJigawa State-Location:Jigawa State is one of thirty-six states that constitute Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is situated in the north-western part of the country between latitudes 11.00oN to 13.00oN and longitudes 8.00oE to 10.15oE. Kano State and Katsina State border Jigawa to the west, Bauchi State to the...
- KebbiKebbi StateKebbi State is a state in north-western Nigeria with its capital at Birnin Kebbi. The state was formed from part of Sokoto State in 1991. Kebbi State is bordered by Sokoto State, Niger State, Dosso Region in the Republic of Niger and the nation of Benin. It has a total area of...
- YobeYobe StateYobe State is a state located in Northern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on August 27, 1991. Yobe state was carved out of present-day Borno State. The capital of Yobe state is Damaturu.-Geography:...
In the following states the sharia is valid for areas with a mainly Muslim population:
- KadunaKaduna State-History:The state is the successor to the old Northern Region of Nigeria, which had its capital at Kaduna. In 1967 this was split up into six states, one of which was the North-Central State, whose name was changed to Kaduna State in 1976. This was further divided in 1987, losing the area now part...
- NigerNiger StateNiger State is a state in the western part of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. The state capital is Minna, and other major cities are Bida, Kontagora, and Suleja. It was formed in 1976 when the then North-Western State was bifurcated into Niger State and Sokoto State.The state is named...
(13 January 2000) - GombeGombe StateGombe State, located in the northeastern part of Nigeria, is one of the country's 36 states; its capital is Gombe. The boundaries of the state roughly correspond to those of the Gombe Emirate,a traditional state.[2]...
Introduction of the Sharia
The riots of 1999, 2000 and 2001 were riots between ChristiansChristianity in Nigeria
Christianity is a major religion in Nigeria accounting for about 50% of the population. Based on a 2003Nigerian Religious and Demographic survey, Christians comprised 48.2% of the Nigerian population. Christians are dominant in the southern and central region in Nigeria...
and Muslims
Islam in Nigeria
Fifty percent of the population of Nigeria adheres to Islam, compared to Christianity which represents 40% of the population. Islam came to Northern Nigeria as early as the 9th century CE, and was well established in the Kanem-Bornu Empire during the reign of Humme Jilmi...
in Jos
Jos
Jos is a city in the Middle Belt of Nigeria.The city has a population of about 1.5 million residents. Popularly called "J-town" or "Jesus Our Saviour" by the residents, it is the administrative capital of Plateau State....
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
about the appointment of a Muslim politician, Alhaji Muktar Mohammed, to the local coordinator federal programme to fight poverty. The riots began on 7 September, lasted nearly two weeks and ended on 17 September. More than 1000 people were killed because of the riots.
In 2010, more than 500 people were killed by religious violence in Jos
2010 Jos riots
The 2010 Jos riots were clashes between Muslim and Christian ethnic groups in central Nigeria near the city of Jos. The area has been plagued by violence for the past twenty years motivated by multiple factors. The clashes have been characterized as "religious violence" by many news sources,...
.
See also
- List of ongoing political conflicts
- Kano riot of 1953Kano riot of 1953A serious riot broke out in the ancient city of Kano in Northern Nigeria on May 1, 1953. The nature of the riot were clashes between Northerners and Southerners made up of mainly the Yorubas and the Ibos...
- 2001 Jos riots2001 Jos riotsThe 2001 Jos riots were riots involving Christians and Muslims in Jos, Nigeria over the appointment of a Muslim politician, Alhaji Muktar Mohammed, as local coordinator of the federal poverty alleviation program. The clashes started on September 7 and lasted nearly two weeks, ending on September 17...
- 2008 Jos riots2008 Jos riotsThe 2008 Jos riots were riots involving Christians and Muslims over the result of a local election on November 28 and 29, 2008 in Jos, a community in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria. Two days of rioting left over 400 injured and 381 killed...
- 2009 Nigerian sectarian violence2009 Nigerian sectarian violenceThe 2009 Nigerian sectarian violence was a conflict between Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group and Nigerian security forces. The violence resulted in 700 deaths between 26 and 29 July 2009 across four cities in north east Nigeria....
- 2010 Jos riots2010 Jos riotsThe 2010 Jos riots were clashes between Muslim and Christian ethnic groups in central Nigeria near the city of Jos. The area has been plagued by violence for the past twenty years motivated by multiple factors. The clashes have been characterized as "religious violence" by many news sources,...
- Politics of NigeriaPolitics of NigeriaNigeria is a Federal Republic modeled after the United States, with executive power exercised by the president and with influences from the Westminster System model in the composition and management of the upper and lower houses of the bicameral legislature. However, the President of Nigeria is...
- Methodist Church NigeriaMethodist Church NigeriaMethodist Church Nigeria is a major Christian denomination of Nigeria. It has about 2 million members. It is a member of the World Council of Churches as well as the...
- Religion in Bauchi StateReligion in Bauchi StateReligion in Bauchi State of Nigeria is mainly Islam. The Sharia is valid in the entire state. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bauchi has its seat in the state....
- Religion in Borno StateReligion in Borno StateReligion in Borno State of Nigeria is mainly Islam. The Sharia is valid in the entire state. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri has its seat in the state....
- Religion in Gombe StateReligion in Gombe StateReligion in Gombe State is mainly Islam and Christianity. The Sharia is valid for areas with a mainly Muslim population. No Roman Catholic dioceses have their seat in the state....
- Religion in Jigawa StateReligion in Jigawa StateReligion in Jigawa State of Nigeria is mainly Islam. The Sharia is valid in the entire state. No Roman Catholic diocese has its seat in the state....
- Religion in Kaduna StateReligion in Kaduna StateReligion in Kaduna State imainly is Islam and Christianity. The Sharia is valid for areas with a mainly Muslim population. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Zaria, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Zaria, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan have their seat...
- Religion in Kano StateReligion in Kano StateReligion in Kano State of Nigeria is mainly Islam. The Sharia is valid in the entire state. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kano has its seat in the state....
- Religion in Katsina StateReligion in Katsina StateReligion in Katsina State of Nigeria is mainly Islam. The Sharia is valid in the entire state. Amina Lawal was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery in 2002, but was freed in 2004. No Roman Catholic diocese has its seat in the state....
- Religion in Kebbi StateReligion in Kebbi StateReligion in Kebbi State of Nigeria is mainly Islam. The Sharia is valid in the entire state. No Roman Catholic diocese has its seat in the state....
- Religion in Niger StateReligion in Niger StateReligion in Niger State is mainly Islam and Christianity. The Sharia is valid for areas with a mainly Muslim population. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Minna and the Apostolic Vicariate of Kontagora have their seat in the state. Darul Islam is present in the state....
- Religion in Sokoto StateReligion in Sokoto StateReligion in Sokoto State of Nigeria is mainly Islam. The Sharia is valid in the entire state. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto has its seat in the state. The Churches of Christ are present in the state....
- Religion in Yobe StateReligion in Yobe StateReligion in Yobe State of Nigeria is mainly Islam. The Sharia is valid in the entire state. Boko Haram is active in the state . No Roman Catholic diocese has its seat in the state....
- Religion in Zamfara StateReligion in Zamfara StateReligion in Zamfara State of Nigeria is mainly Islam. The Sharia is valid in the entire state. No Roman Catholic diocese has its seat in the state....
External links
- Blench, R. M., Daniel, P. & Hassan, Umaru (2003): Access rights and conflict over common pool resources in three states in Nigeria. Report to Conflict Resolution Unit, World Bank (extracted section on Jos Plateau)