Nigerian Bishops Call for Protection from strict Islam Sharia Law

March 7, 2001 Comments Off

ABUJA, Nigeria, Mar. 7, 01 (CWNews.com) – Nigeria’s bishops
on Tuesday called for President Olusegun Obasanjo to protect
minority non-Muslims in northern Nigeria from abuse under
the strict Islamic sharia law.

The African nation was rocked last year with clashes
between Christians, who dominate in southern states, and
Muslims, who are a majority in the north, after some
northern states announced plans to implement the strict
religious code in civil law.

“There are many Nigerians who feel that their rights are
being infringed upon where the sharia has been imposed as
state law,” said Archbishop John Onaiyekan of Abuja,
president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.
“Many of them have been forced to relocate from their
places of work and business at great cost and loss to
themselves,” he said in an address to a meeting of the
bishops.

Despite months of calm after fighting that left hundreds
dead last year, “It is dangerous to presume that all is
well simply because we are no longer burning houses or
killing one another,” Archbishop Onaiyekan said. “No one
should expect a situation of blatant injustice to continue
indefinitely without consequences.”