Journal of the American Academy of Religion Advance Access originally published online on July 19, 2008
Journal of the American Academy of Religion 2008 76(3):602-637; doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfn058
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Christian–Muslim Relations in Northern Nigeria since the Introduction of Shari'ah in 1999
Frieder Ludwig, Missionsseminar Hermannsburg, Missionsstraße 3, D-29320 Hermannsburg, Germany
Email: f.ludwig{at}missionsseminar.de
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Abstract |
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This article analyzes Christian–Muslim relations and the shaping of religious identities in the context of the Shari'ah debate in Northern Nigeria. Since Nigeria has regained credibility by its transition to democracy in 1999, the steps taken to implement the Islamic Criminal Law in some Northern states are watched with anxiety and have given rise to a great deal of discussion. There has been a tendency to perceive the situation as a conflict between two clearly defined antagonistic camps. However, interactions between Christians and Muslims in Northern Nigeria took many different forms since 1999. Apart from the widely reported clashes (which did not always run along clear-cut religious lines), there were also new efforts towards Muslim–Christian cooperation—both at the grassroots' as well as the states' level. Muslims and Christians are redefining their positions and adapting them in different ways to local circumstances, thereby developing some creative responses to the tensions of religious co-existence.
This article is based on material collected through an interdisciplinary research project (sponsored by the German Volkswagen Foundation) in which colleagues in Nigeria, Germany and the USA collaborate to analyze the shaping of religious identities in the context of the Shari'ah debate in Northern Nigeria. Our research team comprises Christian, Muslim and agnostic scholars. It is led by Dr. Umar Danfulani (Department of Religious Studies, Jos University, Nigeria), Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Jamila Nasir, Dr. Philip Ostien (both Faculty of Law, Jos University, Nigeria); Prof. Dr. Ulrich Berner (Religious Studies, Bayreuth University, Germany) and Dr. Franz Kogelmann (Islamic Studies, University of Bayreuth). I am grateful that I could use the detailed field trip reports provided by Musa Gaiya, Philip Ostien, Umar Danfulani, S. Fwatshak, M. Idris, Sama'ila Mohammed, Ahmed Garba, Hajiya Saadatu Hassan Liman, Ramatu Awal, J.Nasir, J.D. Gwamna, Hajiya Khadijah, S. Mohammed and A. Garba. I am indebted to Dr. Gunnar Weimann (Den Haag), Dr. Franz Kogelmann (Islamic Studies, University of Bayreuth) and Victoria Smith (Luther Seminary, St. Paul) for proof-reading.