The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has criticised the United States over demand for the abrogation of Shari’ah law and threatening 12 northern governors with sanctions.
MURIC described the position of the US government as unguarded, undemocratic and inflammatory.
In the heat of tension between Nigeria and the United States, some US legislators have demanded the abrogation of Shari’ah law, in addition to threatening 12 northern governors with sanctions.
Reacting to these, MURIC’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola rejected what he called the attempts by US legislators to impose American value system on Muslims around the world, including Nigerian Muslims.
“The negative comments about the Islamic legal system coming from the US are, at best, unguarded, undemocratic and demagogic.
“Our position is based on the core principles of democracy which the US claims to be championing, viz, majority rule, participatory citizenry and the rule of law but which US current behavior and pronouncements on Nigeria feverishly castigate.
“In the first place, the states practicing Shari’ah in Nigeria followed due process before introducing it. Shari’ah is being used in those states as Islam is the religion of the overwhelming majority.
“Secondly, that overwhelming majority is actively participating in the application of Shari’ah in the states and there has never been any complaint from them.
“Thirdly, as a bastion of the rule of law, democracy accepts any set of rules agreed upon by the majority of their representatives,” Akintola said,
He stressed that Shari’ah was introduced through the Houses of Assembly, following global standards of legislative proceedings in all the states where it was passed into law.
“At that point, Shari’ah became the rule of law in those states. Any attempt, therefore, by a foreign legislature to abrogate it through extra-judicial and alien interpretation will be regarded as undue interference in the affairs of a sovereign country and a breach of international law.
“This will defeat the ideals of democracy, deface the values of the rule of law and bastardize the essence of free speech, liberty and humanity. In particular, this stand of the US constitutes a humongous threat to world peace,” he said.
In the same vein, MURIC also denounced threats issued to the 12 northern governors, saying, “These governors were elected in free, fair and credible elections attested to by international election observers in line with global best practices.
“They are the legitimate rulers of their states. US threats directed at the governors constitute an unacceptable assault on the Nigerian electoral process and a desecration of the dignity of the culture of Northern Nigeria”.
MURIC, therefore, called on US lawmakers to allow Nigerian democracy to thrive, telling the lawmakers to “Leave northern lawmakers alone.
“Shari’ah is the free choice of Nigerian Muslims. There must be no obstruction of access to justice.
“We assert clearly, unequivocally and categorically that Shari’ah is the Muslim way of life. We strongly condemn US attempts to harass, coerce and intimidate Northern state actors over Shari’ah.”
