Nigeria is home to many Islamic believers, with about half
of the nation being Muslim and the other half Christian. Nigeria is Africa’s
most populous nation and has been in uproar lately due to the Muslims trying to
nullify the democratic government and shift the county to an Islamic state. The
extremist groups have used to many tactics thus far including shootings and
kidnappings. New York Times has recently
reported that “the Islamic police in the northern state
of Kano are deploying thousands of officers to arrest anyone wearing the
“indecent dress” that is fashionable among young men driving motorized rickshaw
taxis, including pants cut off just below the knee and sleeveless T-shirts.”
The standard Islamic dress code for a man is that he must always be covered in
loose and unrevealing clothing from his navel to his knee and thus anyone who
strays away from that Islamic normative is subject to punishment. Times
continues by mentioning that nine of Nigeria’s 37 states have introduced a
strict version of Islamic law since the year 2000, yet the law is interpreted
and enforced differently in some states.
This reporting links to the theme of
crime and deviance. Deviance is anything
or anyone that differs from the accepted norm. In this case a certain type of
dress is normative and the revealing of arms and legs is intolerable. The
police are now arresting individuals who deviate from wearing a particular dress
as a way to deter other witnesses from behaving in the same manner. This is a
negative motivational influence that scares witnesses into complying with the
law.
10/17/13
12:59PM
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