The Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN) has declared that no external authority can compel Muslims in the country to abandon Sharia practice, firmly rejecting recent calls by United States lawmakers urging Nigeria to repeal Sharia-based legal systems.
The council’s position follows reports that committees of the US Congress advised the White House to pressure Nigeria to abolish Sharia and blasphemy laws, citing concerns over alleged persecution of Christians and religious-freedom violations in parts of the country.
Responding in a strongly worded statement, the Islamic body described the proposal as misinformed and an unacceptable interference in Nigeria’s sovereignty and constitutional order. It maintained that Sharia is a fundamental religious obligation and an integral way of life for Muslims, not a policy choice subject to foreign influence.
SCSN stressed that Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and allows Muslims to regulate personal and communal affairs in accordance with their faith. It noted that Sharia courts operate legally within Nigeria’s plural legal framework and apply primarily to Muslims in the northern states where the system was adopted beginning in 1999.
The council also rejected characterisations of violence in Nigeria as a religious genocide against Christians, arguing that insecurity in the country affects both Muslims and Christians alike. It attributed killings and unrest largely to terrorism, banditry and governance failures rather than state-sanctioned religious persecution.
While criticising foreign pressure, the Islamic council urged Nigerian authorities to intensify efforts to end insecurity nationwide, saying government failure to protect lives and property remains the root cause of many communal tensions often framed in religious terms.
It concluded that attempts to dictate the fate of Sharia practice in Nigeria amount to an attack on the country’s sovereignty and its multi-religious legal structure, insisting that the religious rights of Muslims are non-negotiable.
The exchange highlights growing international scrutiny of Nigeria’s religious-freedom record, even as domestic religious bodies assert constitutional protections for faith-based legal and cultural practices.
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