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John
Onayekan - Archbishop of Abuja Introduction My contribution to this symposium is meant to indicate to Christians how we ought to respond to the challenges that the phenomenon of sharia as state law has raised for us Christians in this country. Previous speakers have already covered many important areas; the history of Islam in Nigeria, the constitutional dimension of the sharia in our country, the meaning of the sharia for muslims, etc. At the end of all this, we ought to be better informed of what we are dealing with. My own task is therefore to look on the whole sharia phenomenon and identify what I believe the Christian should be doing about it, for the good of the nation and obviously for the good of the Christian faith as well. 1. Dead Ends: The sharia has always been a cause of major controversy in this country. Already before independence, it raised controversy among Muslims. (1) We saw an even more heated controversy during the debates at the 1978 constituent assembly, leading to the compromise reflected in the 1979 constitution, a compromise that was brokered by the then military head of state, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo. The present controversy is at a different level since we are faced with a new dimension in the presentation and implementation of the Sharia. It is this that has generated a lot of challenges, not only to Christians, but to the nation as a whole. These challenges have been responded to in a variety of ways. I want to draw attention to some responses that in my own opinion have only led to dead ends, responses which have not really met the challenges that we have before us. i. First of these is the response of violence. We have seen a lot of this especially in those states in the north where christians and muslims are of almost equal strength. The most typical example is in Kaduna. The tragic violence leading to loss of life and property which we have seen in this regard is a cause of great shame to both christians and muslims. But I think we ought to still say that those who started the whole controversy can hardly escape responsibility for this tragedy of violence. Action leads to reaction. At the end of the day however, the violence does not resolve anything. On the contrary, it leads to unnecessary sufferings and destruction of life and property. Therefore whatever response we may want to give, we have to do our best to remain non-violent. Our Christian faith enjoins us to live in peace with everyone. It is difficult to justify violence on the basis of our Christian faith, even though at times legitimate self defence can justify a proportionate violent reaction. ii. The second response that has sometimes been proposed is partition, that we divide the nation into muslim and christian zones in order to have peace. We find it difficult to see how this can be done in any peaceful and tidy way. Where do we draw the line? Such a solution does not resolve the problem of peaceful co-existence between the two groups. Is it really impossible for christians and muslims to live side by side with equal rights, in every state of the federation. I believe that it is possible. In fact, we have been doing so to a large extent in most parts of the counjtry until recently. Even now, Yorubaland is a good example of what is possible all over the Federation. Besides, we should learn from the history of others who have tried to solve the problem of religious difficulties through partition. A typical example is India and Pakistan. Since the partition of India and Pakistan, there has never been peace in that part of the world. Partition will only solidify the line of battle and not resolve anything. iii. The third proposal that has been made is that rather than complain against Muslims for insisting on sharia, Christians should rather present the canon law as an alternative for Christians. Those who make this kind of suggestion are clearly ignorant of what canon law means. They mistakenly imagine that the canon law court can be an alternative to what the sharia claims to be. Besides canon law, as we know it now, is the law of one church, the Catholic Church. Other Churches have their rules and constitutions, different from the Catholic canon law. How does one handle such a variety of laws in a country like Nigeria? It would be a recipe for chaos. We must therefore look for a more realistic and positive response to the challenges of sharia in our land. What are these responses? 2. The Challenge of Information: I believe one of the greatest challenges to christians in the present circumstances is to take the trouble to know about what sharia means, within the context of the life of the muslim. I believe that very often statements are made which clearly demonstrates that one does not appreciate what the sharia really means or entails. Unfortunately it has become like a battle cry and the tendency is to consider it as the muslim position which christians must fight against. Maybe, if more effort is made to explain what the sharia means, it will be easier for Christians to respond in a positive way to the phenomenon. This programme of a symposium is therefore a step in the right direction. It is particularly gratifying that young seminarians are here to learn what sharia is all about so that they in their turn can pass on the knowledge to their flocks when they become priests. It is then certainly going to be in the best interest of Nigeria if we are better informed about one another’s faith. It is hoped too that the muslim community on its own part will take the trouble to understand the feelings of Christians on this matter. In fact, it seems that even Muslims are at times not too well informed about the Sharia, and they therefore give Christians a wrong impression. One area of major misunderstanding for most people is to imagine that the Sharia is a given code of law. The fact is that there is no such written code. Zamfara had to draft its own code, as others have done after it. It is like we have "the law of the Gospels" in Christianity. We can formulate a law based on Gospel values. But the Gospels found in the bible were never meant to be used as a legal code. If our Muslim friends accept the same kind of distinction between the Quran and the Sharia codes, it would make dialogue with non-Muslims easier. 3. Sharia as Religion: One of the things that will come out plainly with a more serious understanding of the sharia issue is that it has both a religious and a political dimension. From the purely religious point of view, it is my strong conviction that there is really no need for any controversy. Afterall christians and muslims have learnt to live together with very different dogmatic positions. It is interesting to note that the most important area of difference between christians and muslims has never been a cause of conflict in Nigeria. That area of difference is precisely with regard to the person of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whether he is God or not. It is this which clearly distinguishes the muslim from the christian. We have been able to live with our differences in this serious matter. Therefore we can live with our differences as far as the religious dimensions of the sharia is concerned. Thus, it should not disturb us at all whether muslims decide not to drink alcohol or whether they organise their marriage rules and the laws of their inheritance differently from christians. Indeed we have been getting on with one another peacefully in these areas. Muslims say that all alcohol is forbidden by God, that is their understanding of God’s law. All that is required that no-one forces them to drink alcohol. It is not necessary that the law of the land forbids it to all, including those who do not accept that law. Similarly, Catholics believe that marriage should be monogamous and indissoluble. That is our conviction about God’s law, and no-one or law should force a catholic to marry more than one wife or to divorce his wife or husband. But just as we cannot forbid muslims to be polygamous, so must muslims not forbid us drinking alcohol. If we use the example of marriage and alcohol, it because they demonstrate clearly what we want to say. We are not in any way promoting drunkenness, which is forbidden too in Christianity. It is a great challenge for the Christian in every part of our country to insist on his or her right to live according to his own faith. A greater challenge however is for us christians to identify the areas where we share common values with muslims in the matter of public morality. The most important of this is the basic assumption of the sharia that we must live according to God’s law. Christians agree with muslims in this regard and there is a lot of room for joint action in this matter. While in some areas we may not agree on what God’s will really is, in many cases we have complete agreement. For example, we all agree that it is wrong to steal. It is wrong to be dishonest. It is right to live in peace with one another. It is important to live a disciplined life. It is important to pray to God and acknowledge his sovereignty. All these are values that we share together and we should do all we can to promote them, supporting one another in our efforts to live according to those shared values. One of the great tragedies of the sharia controversy is that it tends to blind us to these many areas where we agree and where common action can do a lot to improve the moral tone of our society. For example, much effort is expended breaking the pots of "burukutu" of poor villagers, and nothing is done to restrain the corruption and high-handedness of high government officials. We surely know which is more serious in God’s eyes. It is a challenge for Christians and for Muslims too, to find ways and means of joining hands with one another to promote those religious values that we all have in common. The sharia as religion also has the pre-occupation to improve the moral tone of society in line with God’s will. That too is a pre-occupation for us as Christians. In the prayer that the Lord Jesus taught us, we pray everyday that "Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven" and we believe that this world will be a wonderful place if we all lived according to God’s injunctions. Here Christians and Muslims can join hands to ensure that their respective membership live as much as they can according to their religious convictions. 4. Sharia as Politics: If the sharia has become a matter of great controversy, it is mainly because of its political dimensions. The muslim is the first to acknowledge that there is a political angle to the sharia and when we are in politics, it is necessary that things must be discussed. Political ideology and ideas cannot be imposed. Whoever controls laws, especially laws that can be enforced by the instruments of government, is in politics. It has to do with power and we have seen how this power has been used, and sometimes misused, since the sharia issue arose. If one person is in a position to make a rule that forces me to fold up my business, surely that person has power over me. If such decisions, taken in my regard, are contrary to my own interest, I have a right to fight against it. When I fight against it, it is not enough to tell me this is God’s injunction. It is necessary that I must accept it as God’s injunction. This is the crux of the whole matter.
When the non-Muslim people of Kaduna State especially those from the southern part of the state, rose up to oppose the sharia, they are only insisting on their freedom to live according to their own convictions. It was a political move and reaction, not a religious one. We also believe that those who have introduced the sharia as state law have taken political decisions. There is no greater proof of this than that these decisions are being taken by politicians, governors who claim to pass laws and bills through state assemblies. There is nothing more political than this. The challenge for Christians therefore is that the political move must be met by a political response. Religious rights are political rights. The right to follow whatever religion I choose is not a religious issue. It is a political matter. Therefore it is the duty of the christian politician to ensure that his religious rights are respected, as much as his economic and social rights. Infact, in the case of the sharia, we have found that the injunctions of the sharia has economic and social implications for the Christian. It is up to him, as a christian citizen, to adequately respond to such challenges. We are told by the governments which have imposed sharia that they are acting on the basis of the wishes of the majority in the various Houses of Assembly. It is necessary to state clearly that there are areas where majority position must prevail. But there are other areas where even the minority has rights. One of these areas is precisely the area of fundamental human rights, like the right to freedom of religion. It is expected that christians who feel themselves deprived of their fundamental right in this area, will pursue the matter resolutely through the law courts, from the lower courts to the highest level. A great challenge on the Christian community in general is to devise ways and means of supporting and encouraging such moves. Unfortunately it is the poor people in the villages, unable to fight for their rights, who are most oppressed in this way. Generally, the elites are able to take good care of themselves. The Christian community must learn to be one another’s keeper. We expect that the poor Christians in the villages of the "Sharia States" will not be left to fight alone a futile battle. Christians all over the country should be ready to come to their aid, not to shoot, burn or kill, but to insist on the respect of the religious rights of everyone. 5. The Challenge of National Unity: One of the problems of the sharia controversy is that it has tended to split the nation down the middle into muslims and non-muslims. Luckily many muslims do not want that kind of split. But we need to continue to insist that it is better for us all, if we should live together as one nation. The christian in particular has the duty to do all he can to live at peace with everyone. We have the mandate to work for the unity of the human community, to struggle for the common good, not just for the good of christians. It is hoped that those who tend to give the impression that they are only concerned about Islamic rights will eventually understand that there are others too who have rights and that it is best for the whole community if we pursued the rights of all. It is a basic element of the Catholic social doctrine that the common good must be pursued in all our political efforts. It is indeed the pursuit of the common good that justifies giving authority and power to rulers. A ruler who does not pursue the good of all citizens has no right to be obeyed. A lot of challenges therefore is before us in our country today. Conclusion It is not enough to keep shouting and saying we do not want sharia. It is important to know exactly what we are talking about. It is also necessary to try all we can to let others understand how we feel. We must also take the trouble to visit those places and show solidarity to our brothers who are often in a weak and minority situation. There is need for practical and practicable strategy for resolving the matter in a way that leads to peace, unity and tranquility in our nation. I still have a strong feeling that until this matter is resolved, there can be no real peace in our land. I hope those who keep insisting on the sharia in a country like Nigeria are aware that it is giving us a bad name in many countries. Of course, some people boast that they do not care what the rest of the world thinks about us. But we know that we cannot lived in isolation. The bad reputation that we have does affect us all. This should be a reason to reconsider the situation. On the long run, it is certainly better for the whole nation if we can work together, each one enjoying full freedom to practise one’s own religion but imposing nothing on anybody else. That is the position that has been devised in many countries that we consider progressive. We have to learn from others. Our country is such that we cannot afford to start a religious war between christians and muslims. We have no choice than to live together and we cannot live together if we do not have the same rights and common objectives. This is a challenge not only for us christians but for our muslim citizens and neighbours too. Thank you for your attention. Ref.: Text from the Author.
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