Imams’ Association Faults Testimony On Shariah Law Before US Congress

The Association of Nigerian Imams (ANI) has faulted the recent testimony of one Dr Ebenezer Obadare before the United States Congress, calling for the abolition of Shari’ah criminal law in 12 northern states and the disbandment of Hisbah commissions across the region.The Congress of the Imams in a statement issued and signed by the National Secretary of the Forum, Dr, Umar Farouk Abdullahi, and copies made available to newsmen in Minna, stated that the implementation of Shari’ah law in Northern Nigeria was a legitimate exercise of democratic principles, undertaken by elected representatives who were mandated by their constituents to enact laws that reflect Islamic tenets.

“This process was not imposed upon the people, but rather, it was a response to their aspirations for a legal and social framework that aligns with their faith and values”, the statement claimed.

The Forum therefore posited that Dr Obadare’s testimony was not only a disregard for the democratic process that led to the implementation of Shari’ah law but also ignored the rights of millions of Muslims to practice their faith and govern their personal and communal lives according to their beliefs.

“This is a clear infringement on the religious rights of Nigerian Muslims and an attempt to impose external values and ideologies on the country”, the six-page statement also added.

The Nigerian Imams said Dr Obadare’s testimony was a gross misrepresentation of the facts and a reckless attempt to undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty and the religious rights of its Muslim citizens.

According to the statement, “Shari’ah is not a novelty in Nigeria; it has co-existed with secular laws and institutions for decades, and its implementation has been shaped by the country’s federal structure and constitutional framework.

The notion that Shari’ah law is somehow incompatible with Nigeria’s secular constitution is a misconception and misrepresentation of facts that ignores the complexities of the country’s legal and cultural landscape”

The association, therefore, said it was rejecting any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty and the rights of its Muslim citizens, and called on all stakeholders to respect the country’s democratic institutions, cultural diversity and the rule of law.

While accepting that Boko Haram’s ideology was rooted in violent extremism, the association said the ideology of Boko haram was not in tandem with Shari’ah law; that the Boko haram extremists have explicitly and severely condemned.