3/04/2011
Ever since Nigeria, at least several states in the Northern area, adopted Sharia Law; conflicts between Christians and Muslims have increased dramatically. For the most part, there is even split between the denizens of Nigeria; in the Jos, Plateau State; there are many Christians. And in Bauchi, there are many Muslims. Now the two states/regions are separated by their low tolerance for one another’s religion as well as their location, but is one justified for not tolerating what can be seen as a radical religious practice?
Despite there being a history between Christianity and Islamic individuals and nations being ‘at war’ with one another, the reason for these individuals being violent towards one another is due to the ‘law’ that was introduced or adopted from Islamic practices; “The laws contain violations known as "Hadd" offenses, which include sexual intercourse outside of marriage, alcohol consumption, highway robbery, theft and murder. With the proper evidence, sexual offenses can carry a sentence of stoning to death or flogging. Theft can be punished by the loss of a hand.” (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/africa/nigeria/sharia_law.html). Though not all Islamic oriented countries and peoples use this law or practices; many in Nigeria do and this creates conflict with their Christian neighbors. There have been reports of individuals being sentenced to death by stoning because they broke one of the laws of Sharia and many non-Islam individuals saw the penalties as cruel. And I, as well as hundreds of thousands, also see the practices as cruel; yet there are likely a equal number who see this as justified not only by their respective society’s standards but religious standards.
Combined with the disdain for one another’s practiced religion and for the intolerance of one another’s practices, both sides have attacked one another, either directly through hand to hand or physical violence or indirectly via bombs and gunfire, “On Christmas Eve, two bombs went off near a large market in Jos where people were doing last-minute Christmas shopping. A third hit a mainly Christian area of Jos, while the fourth was near a road that leads to the city's main mosque. Officials initially said at least 32 died from the blasts, while an official with the National Emergency Management Agency told journalists that he had counted 80 deaths from the explosions and the retaliatory violence that followed.” (http://www.naijafeed.com/naijafeed/2011/1/9/more-killed-in-jos-intercommunal-violence.html). This has created a vicious and terrible cycle of ‘pain begets pain.’ or an eye for an eye mentality, and while it may seem as though it is only the Muslims practicing much of the violence; the incident that may have resulted in the bombing involved several Christian individuals blocking a car filled with Muslims and fatally attacking several of them.
Needless to say all of these acts have painted the country in a bad light and changes, whether it’s government induced or just an awakening between the two dueling religions; needs to be made.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/africa/nigeria/sharia_law.htmlhttp://www.naijafeed.com/naijafeed/2011/1/9/more-killed-in-jos-intercommunal-violence.html
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