Study Session 6 ISLAM AND POLITICAL CULTURE IN NIGERIA

Study Session 6: Islam and Political Culture in Nigeria

Introduction

This session explores the emergence of Islam in Nigeria and its profound influence on the nation's political culture. Religion has consistently been a significant aspect of Nigerian life, shaping its societal and political landscape. The session covers the establishment of Islam, its impact, the Sharia imbroglio in the Fourth Republic, and the rise of the Boko Haram sect.

Learning Outcomes for Study Session 6

Upon completing this session, you should be able to understand:

• The various stages of the establishment of Islam in Nigeria.
• The impact of Islam on Nigeria.
• Causes of the Sharia imbroglio in the Fourth Republic.
• The emergence of the Boko Haram sect.

6.1 Stages of the Establishment of Islam in Nigeria

The Islamic influence in Nigeria developed through distinct stages across various regions, with prominent areas being Kanem-Borno, Hausaland, and Yorubaland, which have the longest history of Islamic culture in the country.

Kanem-Borno

• Early interaction existed between the Kanuri people and Berber merchants of North Africa.
• The earliest presence of Islam in Nigeria was in Borno, emerging from the ancient Kanem–Borno Empire.
• Situated at the terminus of the trans-Sahara trade route from Tripoli through Fezzan and Bilma, the area had strong trading relations with North African merchants.
• The real process of Islamization began in the 11th century with Umme Jilme (1075-85), the first Muslim ruler of the Seifawa dynasty.
• By the 13th century, Kanem-Borno rulers exchanged emissaries with the Maghreb and established diplomatic relations with the Ottoman Empire.
• Islam reached its peak during the reign of Mai Idris Alooma (1570-1602), known as the Amirul Mumineen (leader of the faithful), signifying full integration of Islam into the empire.

Hausaland

• Islamization occurred during the reign of Sarki Yaji of Kano (1349-1385).
• A significant milestone was achieved under Sarki Rumfa (1463-1499), who requested the Algerian scholar Abdul Karim Al-Maghilli to prepare a treatise for administration.
• Al-Maghilli arrived in Kano in 1492 and his Arabic document, ‘Tajud-din fii ma yajib alalMuslim' (Obligation of the Princes), was crucial.
• The 19th-century Jihad, led by Shehu Usman dan Fodio, was another significant stage. It was launched by Fulani emigrants against the syncretic practices of the Habe rulers.
• Dan Fodio condemned polytheistic practices like venerating trees and rocks.
• By 1812, the long-established political system was replaced by the Sokoto Caliphate, which controlled Hausaland and extended to Northern Yorubaland.
• The Fulani Jihad united Hausa states under one political system governed by Sharia law.
• New political offices such as Emir, Waziri, Galadima, and Amirul Jaysh were introduced.
• The Sokoto Caliphate ended in 1903 with British colonial rule, but many aspects of its structure were transferred to the Indirect Rule system.

Features of Islam in Hausa Community

• Permeation of Institutions: Islam deeply influenced the Emirate socio-political structure and daily life, including five daily prayers, annual pilgrimage to Mecca, and the Sharia legal system. Every community had land for daily prayers.
• Wide Scope of Beliefs and Practices: Islam provided a cultural tradition that affected family life, dress code, and linked individuals to their local community and the wider Islamic world.

Yorubaland

• The spread of Islam here had unique features, not fully isolated from events in Kanem-Borno and Hausaland.
• There was evidence of Islamic presence pre-Jihad, but the Muslim community's socio-political status was generally low.
• Two factors boosted Muslim status in the 19th century:
  1. Influx of liberated slaves to Lagos, Badagry, and other places. Many were skilled artisans, wealthy, influential, and instrumental in diffusing European ideas and Western education among Muslims.
  2. The 19th-century Yoruba wars and the emergence of Ilorin as a frontier emirate of the Sokoto Caliphate.
• Ilorin spearheaded the spread of Islam through open-air services, Quranic schools, and mosque construction.
• Teachers and preachers primarily came from Ilorin and its environs, leading to Islamic culture manifesting in dress, language, and architecture.

6.2 Religious Impact on Nigeria

Direct Impact

• Islam significantly contributed to urbanization, with the Sokoto Caliphate stimulating the conversion of villages into towns and the establishment of new towns like Adamawa, Yola, Bauchi, Bida, and Kontagora.
• During early Islam in Borno, the study of the Quran and Islamic texts fostered a culture of reading and writing to fulfill religious and societal obligations.
• This education produced clerics, scribes, and judges.
• Royal patronage and encouragement of Islamic learning led to a new generation of Muslim scholars and religious activists, further aided by access to books and literature from North Africa.

Religious Violence in Nigeria

• Religious violence is a significant problem threatening national stability, despite religion being considered a personal affair.
• Since independence and military rule, Nigeria has witnessed numerous religiously induced crises with negative effects on its corporate existence.
• Despite hopes for democratic rule to resolve sectarian conflicts, they have continued.
• Between 1980 and 2004, Northern Nigeria recorded many religiously-induced crises, claiming lives and property.
• Religious crises can be intra-Muslim, ethno-religious, or Muslim-Christian.
• The Fulani Jihad is an example of intra-Muslim crisis, as it aimed to revive Islam from syncretic practices of existing Hausa leaders.
• The Maitatsine riots of Kano in 1980 are another intra-Muslim crisis, demanding rejection of secularism and absolute loyalty to leader Muhammad Marwa.
• Since Maitatsine, religious fundamentalism has been a recurring event.
• Towns affected by religious violence include:
  • Kano - December 1980, 1991, 1994 and 1995.
  • Kafanchan - 1981, 1987, 1996.
  • Maiduguri - 1982, 2009, 2010.
  • Jimeta - 1984.
  • Ilorin - 1986.
  • Kaduna - 1987, 2000, 2002.
• Reliable statistics on casualties are often absent, making accurate assessment difficult. Religious violence is more prevalent in Northern Nigeria.

Causes of Religious Violence

• Religion became a serious source of conflict in Nigeria in the late 1970s, specifically during the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) deliberations in 1976/1977 over the Sharia issue.
• Religion has been manipulated by the political class, negatively impacting national growth despite its potential for integration.
• A major cause is insufficient information among adherents of major religions about each other's core messages, with limited opportunities for exchange.
• Nigeria's cultural and ethnic diversities contribute to conflicts; groups have peculiar beliefs that can trigger violence.
• For instance, the Hausa/Fulani are highly sensitive to ridicule of their religion or the Prophet of Islam (e.g., Danish newspaper cartoon incident).
• Such religious sensitivities are often exploited by the political class to cover up ineptitude and corruption.
• This sentimental attachment makes religion a politically active instrument in socio-political affairs.

6.3 The Sharia Imbroglio in the Fourth Republic

• The Sharia debate at the 1988 Constituent Assembly led to demands to expunge Sharia from the Constitution, viewed by Muslims as a denial of religious freedom.
• The issue escalated beyond the Assembly, leading the military government to ban further debate. Hostilities carried over to the National Debate on the Draft Constitution.
• A compromise was reached: Section 275 recognized a Sharia Court of Appeal, while Section 10 stated that the government "shall not adopt any religion as a State religion."
• Successive governments have strived to balance these contradictions.
• Calls for Sharia laws existed since the Second Republic, but the decisive step was taken in 1999 when Governor Ahmed Sanni Yerima of Zamfara State introduced the Sharia Penal Code.
• This triggered a spiral effect, leading twelve Northern States to adopt the Sharia legal system: Zamfara, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, and Yobe.
• Non-Muslims in these states become victims of an incompatible legal system and targets during religious violence. Similarly, Muslims in Christian-dominated Southern states face similar risks of reprisal attacks.
• The Northern political class used the Sharia issue as a smokescreen to divert attention from their weaknesses and ineptitude, as Sharia encompasses more than just punishments; it also involves ensuring good governance, eliminating social ills (like *al-Majiris*), and empowering people.
• The frequent violence and socio-economic impact stemming from the Sharia issue have consistently challenged the government.

6.4 Boko Haram

• Nigerians first encountered the major religious revolt of Boko Haram in July 2009, when the sect rampaged in Bauchi, spreading to neighboring states and causing hundreds of deaths.
• The group was founded in 2002 by Muhammed Yusuf in Maiduguri, Borno State.
• The group's protest was doctrinal, rooted in its name: ‘Boko Haram’, which in Hausa means ‘Western education is forbidden.’
• Their opposition to Western education stems from the belief that it teaches heresy.
• Like the Maitatsine sect before it, Boko Haram has informal links with some key politicians in Nigeria.

Summary of Study Session 6

This session covered:

• The various stages of the establishment of Islam in Nigeria.
• The impact of Islam on Nigeria.
• Causes of the Sharia imbroglio in the Fourth Republic.
• The emergence of the Boko Haram sect.

Self-Assessment Questions (SAQs) for Session 6

To assess your understanding of this study session, consider the following questions:

1. Highlight the different stages of the establishment of Islam in Nigeria.
2. Enumerate the impact of Islam on Nigerian society.
3. What do you think caused the Sharia imbroglio in the Fourth Republic in Nigeria?
4. What can you say about the emergence of the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria?