A joint US Congressional briefing following Nigeria’s redesignation as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom has seen experts and lawmakers call for Washington to pressure the Nigerian government to declare Sharia law unconstitutional and dissolve the Hisbah religious police citing systemic persecution of Christians and minorities .
Call for Action from US Lawmakers and Experts
A recent critical joint briefing convened by the United States House Appropriations Committee has brought renewed international scrutiny to Nigeria’s religious freedom record The central message emanating from the session which included lawmakers and experts was a strong recommendation for the US government to pressure Nigeria to abolish Sharia law in the twelve northern states where it is enforced and to disband the Hisbah commissions Islamic religious police .
This briefing followed U S President Donald Trump’s directive to the House Appropriations Committee to investigate the alleged slaughter of Christians and his subsequent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern CPC for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom .
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The Argument for Abolishing Sharia and Hisbah
Experts and lawmakers at the briefing including Dr Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations and Chairman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom USCIRF Vicky Hartzler outlined several reasons for this aggressive two-track approach .
- Systemic Persecution The Sharia legal framework in northern Nigeria is alleged to deepen the systemic persecution of Christians and other minority groups It creates an environment that extremist organizations like Boko Haram ISWAP and radicalized Fulani militias can exploit to spread extremist ideology carry out attacks and force religious conversions and marriages with little accountability .
- Hisbahs Role The Hisbah groups operating as Islamic religious police are seen as vehicles for enforcing and imposing Islamic law on all citizens regardless of their faith Their activities which have included arbitrary arrests flogging the destruction of goods like alcohol and crackdowns on fashion and public gatherings are argued to violate the constitutional promise of religious freedom and contribute to a climate of fear and coercion .
- Constitutional Violation Critics including Nigerian human rights advocates and clerics argue that the adoption of the Sharia Penal Codes in the twelve northern states violates Article 10 of the Nigerian Constitution which guarantees religious freedom .
- Impunity Lawmakers stressed that the Nigerian government has a constitutional obligation to protect its citizens but the perpetrators of religious persecution including those acting under the guise of religious enforcement often operate with complete impunity .
Proposed US Strategy
Dr Obadare advised the US government to pursue a two-track strategy .
- Work with the Nigerian Military Continue working closely with the Nigerian military to neutralize Boko Haram and other insurgent groups .
- Pressure President Tinubu Press President Bola Tinubu’s administration to make Sharia law unconstitutional in the twelve northern states and to dissolve the various Hisbah groups operating across the region .
The call for continued pressure comes from the belief that external influence has already shown effectiveness Since the CPC designation and President Trump’s warnings the Nigerian government has reportedly ordered air strikes on insurgent positions approved the recruitment of additional police officers and declared a national security emergency—though these steps are deemed insufficient .
Historical Context of Sharia and Hisbah
The reintroduction of Sharia criminal codes began in Zamfara State in 2000 with eleven other predominantly Muslim northern states following suit Prior to this Sharia was mainly restricted to matters of personal status This move was controversial with the Hisbah derived from the Islamic concept of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong emerging as a community-based or state-sanctioned vigilante force to enforce the new penal codes .
While proponents view the Hisbah as a necessary body for social re-orientation and curbing moral decadence often enjoying higher public trust than the Nigerian Police critics cite numerous documented cases of abuses lack of proper legal jurisdiction as Nigeria’s Constitution provides for only one police force and targeted enforcement against minorities .
The US lawmakers renewed focus highlights a complex domestic and international conflict over the role of religious law in a secular multi-religious state underscoring the urgent need for the Nigerian government to ensure the constitutional rights and safety of all its citizens .
Disclaimer
The news information presented here is based on available reports and reliable sources including a joint US Congressional briefing Readers should cross-check updates from official news outlets and government statements regarding the current status of Sharia law and Hisbah in Nigeria .