ISLAM IN WEST AFRICA:

NIGERIA.

By James Nziku

[email protected]

Tanzania, 2023.
 Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................1
1. Briefs Geographical Location of Nigeria.....................................................................1
2. Historical Background of Islam in Nigeria..................................................................1
3. Ways of Spreading of Islam in Nigeria........................................................................2
3.1 Trade.......................................................................................................................2
3.2 Help from the Colonial Administrators..................................................................2
3.3 Inter-Marriage.........................................................................................................3
3.4 Jihad or Holy War...................................................................................................3
4. Sharia Law and Its Impacts in Nigerian Society..........................................................3
5. Extremism in Nigeria...................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................6
Bibliography.....................................................................................................................7
Introduction
This work deals with the Islam in Nigeria. The West African countries have
large Muslims populations.1 The largest concentration of Muslims in West
African countries can be found in Nigeria, whereby about 53.5% of population
of 213.4 million people are Muslims, this is according to the statistics of the year
2021. Hence, Islam is one of the largest religions in Nigeria and the country has
the largest Muslim population in West Africa. Islam is predominantly
concentrated in the northern part of the country, with a significant Muslim
minority in the southern region.

1. Briefs Geographical Location of Nigeria

Nigeria is situated in the West African region. Nigeria has a diverse
geography, with climates ranging from arid to humid equatorial. Hundreds of
languages are spoken in the country, including Yoruba, Igbo, Fula, Hausa, Edo,
Ibibio, and English. The country has abundant natural resources, notably large
deposits of petroleum and natural gas. The national capital is Abuja. Lagos, the
former capital, retains its standing as the country’s leading commercial and
industrial city. Nigeria is bordered to the north by Niger, to the east by Chad and
Cameroon, to the south by the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean, and to the
west by Benin. Nigeria is the Africa’s most populous country. 2 In Nigeria the
two major dominants religions are Christianity and Islam, but also there are
minority traditionally worshippers (beliefs), and also there are small portion of
other religions.

2. Historical Background of Islam in Nigeria

Islam first entered Nigeria through Borno in the northeast in the 11 th century.
Therefore, in this 11th century Islam was the first monotheistic Abrahamic
religion to arrive in Nigeria. Muslims in Nigeria are predominantly Sunnis.
However, there is a significant Shia minority, primarily in Kaduna, Kano,
Katsina, Osun, Kwara, Yobe and Sokoto states. The Ahmadiyya movement also
has a sizeable presence in Nigeria. Its spread was essentially a peaceful process,
mediated by Muslim religious leaders and traders, until the Fulani jihad of 1804,
organized by Usman Dan Fodio. The subsequent defeat of the jihadists at the
hands of the British did not stop the spread of Islam. On the contrary, the British
used the administrative structures of Islam in implementing their policy of
indirect rule and recognized Islam as the State religion wherever Muslims were
1
Cf. H. MARCOVITZ, Islam in Africa, 16.
2
Cf. N. LEVTZION – R.L. POUWELS, eds., History of Islam in Africa, 209.
1
in power. Islam had a firm hold in the North and under the pax Britannica and
the activities of Muslim traders was sure and steady. 3 The personal attraction of
Islam also played a role in its diffusion. After independence, a new impetus to
the spread of Islam was provided by Ahmadu Bello (1910-1966), a conservative
Nigerian statesman and was the premier of the Northern Region, after Nigerian
independence in 1960, with his Islamization program that led to the conversion
of over 100,000 people in the provinces of Zaria and Niger. Although his plan
for the total Islamization of Nigeria was brought to an abrupt end by the military
coup of 1966, the 1970s have seen a continuing government policy favoring the
dominance of Islam. Therefore, nowadays Islam is one of the largest religions in
Nigeria and the country has the largest Muslim population in West Africa. In
2021, the CIA World Fact book estimated that 53.5% of Nigeria's population is
Muslim. Therefore, in Nigeria many Muslims are in the northern part of the
country, than the southern part of the country. 4 In the southern part of Nigeria
Christians are many.

3. Ways of Spreading of Islam in Nigeria

The following are the ways which used to spread Islam in Nigeria. There are
many ways, but we will see some of them.

3.1 Trade
Islam was introduced to what is now Nigeria during the 11 th century via trade
routes with North Africa and the Senegalese basin. With the rise of this trade
routes this gave motivation to the Muslims traders to travel from northern Africa
and settle in new areas in Northern Nigeria, where they were able to promote
their faith, to the local people they met. Therefore, the Trans Saharan trade
network (Trans Saharan trade of slaves and gold) allowed many Muslim traders
from the Maghreb to come and settle in some of the market centers in western
African countries, like Nigeria.5 It was these resident Muslim traders who
converted the rulers and the principal local town’s people to Islam. These
examples grew the process of Islamisation or conversion to Islam, as it gathered
momentum.

3
Cf. N. LEVTZION – R.I. POUWELS, eds., History of Islam in Africa, 212.
4
Cf. N. LEVTZION – R.I. POUWELS, eds., History of Islam in Africa, 210.
5
Cf. F. NGOM – M.H. KURFI - T. FALOLA, eds., The Palgrave Handbook of Islam in Africa, 23.
2
3.2 Help from the Colonial Administrators
The British, colonial administrators made arrangements to preserve the
power of Muslim elites in exchange for their cooperation with European rule. 6 In
northern Nigeria the colonial governments helped to spread Islam among subject
people. Moreover, under such arrangements, colonial governments restricted the
activities of Christian missionaries, because they would have been a threat to the
Islamic leaders who were collaborating with colonial regimes. Therefore, from
this point the British colonial government helped to spread Islam in Nigeria.

3.3 Inter-Marriage
Islam also spread on to Nigeria through inter-marriages. 7 The Muslim
merchants from North Africa came down settled and married the Nigerian
women who became Muslims including their children.

3.4 Jihad or Holy War

Another way in which Islam was introduced and spread in Nigeria was the
militant jihad, or the waging of holy war against infidels or lukewarm Muslims.
Some people refer to the 19th century Jihad in Hausa land as the 'Sokoto Jihad'
because it originated from Sokoto. To others still, it was the Jihad of Uthman
Dan Fodio because it was inspired by him. Uthman Dan Fodio (1754-1817), was
a Fulani scholar, Sunni Islamic religious teacher, and revolutionary who founded
the Sokoto Caliphate and ruled as its first caliph. Therefore, in the 19 th century,
Usman Dan Fodio led a reformist jihad against religious syncretism and
perceived injustice throughout Hausa land and several other states, thereby
expanding Islam’s influence in what would become Nigeria. Uthman Dan Fodio
and his followers did not merely attempt to purify Islam as a religion; they also
wished to rationalize the administration of law and justice under their expanded
jurisdictions. They therefore consolidated the loosely federated Hausa emirates
into a much more centralized empire, with Sokoto-seat of the Uthmanian dynasty
as the capital.8 It was called the Sokoto caliphate.

4. Sharia Law and Its Impacts in Nigerian Society

Etymologically the term Sharia is from the Arabic word saria, which has the
Persian and Urdu origin of the word Shariat, which means the path or the way.
So it was used to refer to the clear path of water in a literal sense. That is to say,
a constant channel which is taken by the flowing water. So, Sharia is the way to
6
Cf. N. LEVTZION – R.I. POUWELS, eds., History of Islam in Africa, 2II.
7
Cf. F. NGOM – M.H. KURFI - T. FALOLA, eds., The Palgrave Handbook of Islam in Africa, 242.
8
Cf. N. LEVTZION – R.I. POUWELS, eds., History of Islam in Africa, 210.
3
be followed. Latter this came to means law. Now in the context of the Islamic
religion this literally refers to the Islamic Legal System. 9 Sharia is more than just
a set of laws, the ancient code, which is based on the Quran and other Islamic
teachings, spells out the moral requirements of the Muslims community. 10 In an
Islamic society, courts look to the Quran as well as to stories known as Hadith
about Muhammad and the early Muslim community for guidance when
interpreting the law and enforcing justice. These sharia law are to guide Islamic
state and governments; setting the moral requirements of the Muslim
community.
Therefore, in 2008, twelve states located in northern Nigeria had fully
implemented Sharia law.11 The twelve states in northern Nigeria have
populations where Muslims form the majority. According to sharia law, if
anybody steal, then his or her right hand must be amputated (cut off). However,
many western observers argue that the strict penalties of sharia are cruel
violations of human rights.12 Also, if a woman is caught in adultery, she is
supposed to be sentenced to death by stoning. Despite protests from human
rights activities the sentence is still carried out. Even in the predominantly
Muslim northern states, many citizens who are not Muslims must obey the
Islamic law. In fact, sharia law treats non-Muslims much harsher. For example,
when a judge is faced with conflicting testimony by Muslim and no-Muslim
witness, sharia requires that the judge must believe the word of the Muslim. 13
Hence, in Nigeria as in most African countries, consumption of alcohol is
forbidden and punishable by flogging even though in some religious rites
practiced by Christians, wine is consumed as part of the ritual. In 2014,
homosexual men were targeted by Hisbah, the religious police. According to a
member of the Sharia Commission, homosexuals should be killed by stoning,
hanging or pushing them from a high place. In Nigeria, federal law criminalizes
homosexual behavior, but states with Sharia law imposed the death penalty.
Also, the apostasy, or leaving the faith, is a very controversial issue in the
Muslim world and experts say the majority of scholars believe it is punishable by
death. Some of the example of the sharia law sentence in Nigeria are as follows;
in 2004, a woman in the state of Bauchi was sentenced to death by stoning. Her
crime was adultery.14 Also, in Zamfara, another convicted adulteress a 17 years
old girl was sentenced to 180 lashes with cane. Also in Zamfara, Musa Gummi
9
Cf. N. LEVTZION – R.I. POUWELS, eds., History of Islam in Africa, 64.
10
Cf. H. MARCOVITZ, Islam in Africa, 66.
11
Cf. H. MARCOVITZ, Islam in Africa, 66.
12
Cf. H. MARCOVITZ, Islam in Africa 66.
13
Cf. H. MARCOVITZ, Islam in Africa 68.
14
Cf. H. MARCOVITZ, Islam in Africa 67.
4
who had been convicted of stealing three bicycles, was sentenced to have his
hand amputated (cut off). Therefore, the sentence from sharia law in very cruel.
Hence, the strict penalties of sharia are violating the human rights. For example,
killing a person, stoning a person, flogging a person, cutting somebody hands, all
of these are not good acts.

5. Extremism in Nigeria
The extremism in Nigeria is manifested by Boko Haram. The name “Boko
Haram” is derived from the Hausa word for book – “Boko” and the Arabic word
for forbidden – “Haram”. Literally therefore, Boko Haram means the “book is
forbidden”. In this context, however, it means that Western education is sinful
and therefore prohibited. It means also the Westernization is Sacrilege
(blasphemy) or the Western education is forbidden. The origin of Boko Haram is
tied to one of the Salafī groups of Nigeria. Its appearance dates back to the year
2000 when the founder, Muhammad Yusuf, was preaching about the necessity of
using jihad to reform Muslims in Nigeria. With time, the message of Boko
Haram changed to fighting the Nigerian state in order to institute a reform in the
lives of Muslims.15 The preaching against the state caught the attention of the
public and Boko Haram quickly became the mouthpiece of the oppressed. With
its appealing message, the youth who came from poor conditions identified with
Boko Haram’s message and joined the group.
Hence, Boko haram is a terrorist organization that aims to create an Islamic
state in Nigeria. Boko Haram believes that politics in northern Nigeria has been
seized by a group of corrupt, false Muslims. It wants to wage a war against them,
and the Federal Republic of Nigeria generally, to create a “pure” Islamic state
ruled by sharia law. Since August 2011 Boko Haram has planted bombs almost
weekly in public or in churches in Nigeria’s northeast. The group has also
broadened its targets to include setting fire to schools. In March 2012, some
twelve public schools in Maiduguri were burned down during the night, and as
many as 10,000 pupils were forced out of education. Boko Haram’s capability
increased in 2014, with the group conducting near-daily attacks against
Christians, security and police forces, the media, schools, politicians, and
Muslims perceived as collaborators. On the night of 14–15 April 2014, female
students were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School in the town of
Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. Responsibility for the kidnappings was claimed
by Boko Haram, 57 of the schoolgirls managed to escape over the next few
months. Hence, the Boko Haram in Nigeria have cost lots of lives. 16 Many
15
Cf. F. NGOM – M.H. KURFI - T. FALOLA, eds., The Palgrave Handbook of Islam in Africa, 87.
16
Cf. F. NGOM – M.H. KURFI - T. FALOLA, eds., The Palgrave Handbook of Islam in Africa, 86.
5
people are murdered by this terrorist group. General this terrorist group is very
dangerous in Nigeria, especially in the northern part of the country. Therefore,
the government of Nigeria is still fighting with this Boko haram terrorist group.

Conclusion
It is clear that the population of Muslims in Nigeria is still increasing. In
2021, the CIA World Fact book estimated that 53.5% of Nigeria's population is
Muslim. Now Muslims are becoming many in Nigeria. Even if they are
increasing in number, but their sharia law is not supposed to destroy the freedom
of those who are not Muslims. It is sad to see that in many of the northern
Nigeria states they force non-Muslims to obey the Islamic law. 17 Therefore, in
predominantly Muslim northern states, many citizens who are not Muslims must
obey the Islamic law. Hence, this is not good especially for the non-Muslims.
Therefore, the government should take measures in order to harmonize the
situation. Also, the government must protect all the religions in the country, also
the government must ensure that all the religions in Nigeria observe the human
right, everyone has right to live.

17
Cf. H. MARCOVITZ, Islam in Africa, 68.
6
Bibliography
LEVTZION, N – POUWELS, R.L., eds., History of Islam in Africa, Ohio: Ohio University
Press, 2000.
MARCOVITZ, H., Islam in Africa: Africa Progress and Problems, India: Mason Crest
Publishers, 2007.
NGOM, F – KURFI, M.H – FALOLA, T., eds., The Palgrave Handbook of Islam in Africa,
Cham: Springer Nature, 2020.