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| Title: | An assessment of the intellectual response of the Nigerian ulama to the shari'a debate since independence |
| Author: | Kukah, Matthew Hassan |
| Year: | 1993 |
| Periodical: | Islam et sociétés au Sud du Sahara |
| Issue: | 7 |
| Pages: | 35-55 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic term: | Nigeria |
| Subjects: | ulema Islamic law Shari'a |
| Abstract: | This paper traces the development of the historical, cultural, political and social events which have shaped the thinking of Muslim intellectuals in Nigeria in respect of the place and scope of 'shari'a' (Muslim) law within the nation, focusing on the period since independence. The article first looks at the development of the 'shari'a' debate from the colonial period, through independence, to the end of the First Republic in 1966. It then takes up the 'shari'a' debate from a constitutional perspective, and deals with the Constituent Assembly debates of 1977/1978 around the 'shari'a' clause provided for in the draft Constitution of 1976 for the Second Republic and the establishment of 'shari'a' Courts of Appeal. It subsequently follows the debate through the years 1988/1989 in connection with the transition to the Third Republic. The author examines the sociocultural and political implications of the debate, as well as the differences between the 1977/1978 and the 1988/1989 debates. After assessing the implications of the 'shari'a' debate for political stability and national integration, he concludes that some progress has been made in the debate on religion: Muslims have moved from saying they want 'shari'a' only, to accepting that Nigeria is a multireligious State. Notes, ref. |
