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Muslims "disillusioned with Shari'a" in Nigeria (afrol News, 21 September, 2004)

After twelve Northern Nigerian states since 2000 have introduced Islamic law, or Shari'a, the Muslim population majority is mostly disillusioned. They had hoped Shari'a courts would be better than Nigeria's old and discredited justice system, but many by now find that only the harsh aspects of Shari'a are implemented while generosity and compassion is overlooked, a new report says.

North Nigerian state governments and Shari'a courts had failed to respect international human rights standards, according to Peter Takirambudde of the US group Human Rights Watch. "They have also disregarded what many Muslims argue are key principles of Shari'a itself. They have concentrated on the harsh aspects of Islamic law while ignoring its principles of generosity and compassion," Mr Takirambudde added.

The US human rights group today in London presented a 111-page report on the use of Islamic law in Nigeria. The report documents how human rights are systematically violated as a consequence of the Shari'a courts' practices, while admitting that similar abuses are at least as common in Nigeria's non-Shari'a legal system.