Muslims, had no right under the law to question or review any judgment given by the Sharia Court as doing so would be tantamount to questioning the laws of Allah." ( Tuesday, March 30, 2010) ~ Mallam Ibrahim Lawal, Sharia Court Judge, Kaduna Nigeria.


A Sharia Court Judge called Mallam Ibrahim Lawal, in Magajin Gari, Kaduna State in Northern Nigeria on March 30, this year gave a three-minute judgment in which he pronounced his rulings in favor of the radical group known as the Muslim Brotherhood of Nigeria which wanted to put a stop to the online debate through social networking sites started by the advocacy group known as the Civil Rights Congress about the unjust amputation of a poor man's limb through Sharia law.

What sparked off this furor of recent online debate was a barbaric and inhuman amputation of the limb of a man called Buba Jangebe in the year 2000 after being found guilty of stealing a cow.

Another man Lawal Isa, also had his right hand cut off, after being convicted of stealing three bicycles. And presently, there are several dozens of people in jail awaiting amputation across Northern Nigerian States of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Kaduna, Borno, Gombe among others. What is also disturbing about this Sharia theft punishments, is that the victims upon being accused gets ostracized by their relatives and society, and the only way for them to get re-integrated back into the community is to accept amputation as a form of atonements for their sinful way that will transformed them from a thief into a religious person. Sadly, most of these Sharia law amputees in Nigeria became abandoned and distraught they eventually became beggars and destitute on the streets. Equally, disturbing, is that it is Medical Doctors who should be saving lives that carried out these amputations. To them, nothing is unethical and inhuman. Why can't Nigeria Medical Association expel or sanction their members who amputated people limbs for Sharia law offences? Alas! Nigeria Medical Association have let the country down because they failed to act against these barbaric practices when they are needed most.

It is disgusting that Sharia court judge Ibrahim Lawal not only banned the use of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to campaign against the amputation of Mr. Jangebe by the civil rights congress. He also ordered the immediate suspension of all debates on the amputation by the public. Acccording to him Muslims, had no right under the law to question or review any judgment given by the Sharia Court as doing so would be tantamount to questioning the laws of Allah.

As someone who was born a Muslim and had lived in Northern Nigeria, I find this ruling to be egregiously unjust, mean spirited, crude, troubling and dangerous to the corporate existence and unity of Nigeria as a nation because the autocratic judge wanted to silences freedom of expression and stifled activism. He also wanted to use his bench power through Sharia court to propagate Jihad, as I do believe non Muslims like Christians could fall into his trap.

Similarly, he is sending a strong messages to dissent Nigerian Muslims that will include this writer that punishments awaits us if we dare critique Sharia law because we will be treated as infidels. I wondered why a Sharia court judge like Mallam Ibrahim Lawal did not think of the far reaching consequence or the impact his rulings could have on the fragile country particularly in the wake of recent sectarian religious violence that engulfed the central city of Jos in which more than five hundred people including children and nursing mothers lost their souls.

Moreover, this type of ruling could embolden the extremists Islamic sect like Boko Haram, and further radicalized the unregulated Madrassas in Northern Nigeria where incendiary sermons against the Jews and West are quite popular. In addition to this, the ruling will also serve as a recruiting tool for terrorists organization like Al-Qaeda to brainwashed another young Nigerian Muslim from Northern part of the country to carry out a terrorists act just like Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab( The terror suspect who was accused of trying to bring down Detroit bound US jet airliner on Christmas Day).

It is an established fact that Nigerian government under the Presidency of Alhaji Shehu Musa Yar'Adua has elevated the profile of the President of the Supreme Council of Sharia in Nigeria, Alhaji Ibrahim Datti Ahmed like that of a person with a cabinet level position. And it was not surprising, that he was one of the handpicked influential Muslim clerics from the North that the ailing leader invited last week to Aso Rock (Nigeria's seat of power to offer him prayers for quick recovery). It is unfortunate, that Mr. Yar' Adua who ought to exercise great restraint in getting so closer to any religious organization with an agenda because of his position as the President of all Nigerians irrespective of their faith is the patron of the Izala sects a fundamentalist group with stronghold in Katsina State that canvassed for the application of Sharia criminal code across the country. The group also wanted a return to caliphate in which Nigeria would be ruled like an Islamic empire under a Sultan or Emir. The Izala sects and the Supreme Council of Sharia have one goal in common, they are both designed to promote the adoption of Sharia law in other Nigerian States.

It is certainly clear that the acting President Mr. Goodluck Jonathan, is very weak politically to challenge the ruling of Sharia court judge Mallam Ibrahim Lawal as unconstitutional or to prevent future punishments and amputations of people's limb through Sharia law.

Aside from political corruption, and other most daunting problematic challenges Nigeria faces as a nation is how to curb the clout and philosophy of a non reformists Salafiyya movement better known as the Wahhabi sect on the country's political, economy, social and religious fabrics. The sect with funding from Saudi Arabia, and Libya could plung the country into further bloodshed of religious chaos; it has already weakened the moderates traditional Sunni groups in Nigeria like Qadriyya, Tijani, and Ahamadiyya . The Wahhabi, Salafi cult was imported into the country from Saudi Arabia shortly after Nigeria became a member of the Organization of Islamic Conference in the 1980s.

Nigeria's Federal government must be willing to challenge the adoption of the Sharia law criminal code by core Northern Nigerian States. And also try and regulate Madrassas. Unless we confront this reality that evil perhaps exists in our backyard there could be more like Umar Farouk Abdul-Mutallab out there on the streets of Kaduna and Kano that are willing to be a recruiting tool for Al-Qaeda future operations. More than ten thousands people have died as result of sectarian religious violence following the adoption of Sharia law criminal code by Zamfara State in October 1999. The perpetrators of this crime are not all Muslims, there are Christians among them. No one has been punished under the law for killing people in the name of God or religion in Nigeria. Why? It is because the country is being ruled by rudderless and lawless government.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ademola-bello/who-will-save-amputees-of_b_532949.html

written by Ademola Bello

@ poster, what have you got against sharia? For example what are your views on the issues raised in the above article? How will or has sharia been imposed or impacted on you?
You seem to have a penchant for negativity against the law and its religion.
Obviously, any body with a mind can cut and paste.

I doubt it would be that difficult to google, find and paste neagative news about christians or christianity and upload it in this forum as way of retaliating against you and your ilk, but unfortunately I would also be hurting and provoking innocent persons that are unlucky to share the same faith with you - a simple consideration you obviously dont have.

@Me_Aboki
If you feel this article is an embarrassment to you and other Muslims, it should be! I hope you are not saying that in a modern nation the following kind of punishment should be the order of the day:

Another man Lawal Isa, also had his right hand cut off, after being convicted of stealing three bicycles. And presently, there are several dozens of people in jail awaiting amputation across Northern Nigerian States of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Kaduna, Borno, Gombe among others. What is also disturbing about this Sharia theft punishments, is that the victims upon being accused gets ostracized by their relatives and society, and the only way for them to get re-integrated back into the community is to accept amputation as a form of atonements for their sinful way that will transformed them from a thief into a religious person.

Your post seems to suggest you would not mind implementing the following rule by a Sharia court judge to prevent ridicule. Nobody put the word in his mouth, he said it himself. If the discussion of the punishments metted out by Sharia embarrasses you and those behind it, that is your conscience telling you that it is not right. Listen to it.

It is disgusting that Sharia court judge Ibrahim Lawal not only banned the use of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to campaign against the amputation of Mr. Jangebe by the civil rights congress. He also ordered the immediate suspension of all debates on the amputation by the public. Acccording to him Muslims, had no right under the law to question or review any judgment given by the Sharia Court as doing so would be tantamount to questioning the laws of Allah.

If you want to deny any of the things contained in the article, do that and be done with it already - don't come here to Sharia police the internet. Discussion is the only way to development, not some inherited rules that were formulated based on the "best available knowledge" of the time. The blame is not on those who formulated those rules in those ages, since these rules were "state of art" at the time. It is sad that some poeple are living in the 21st century according to rules designed for the state of knowledge in the 7th.

By the way, the Old Testament of the Bible contains even more severe punishment rules, but you don't see any Jew or Christian making use of those rules anymore.

And if the Catholic Church doesn't call its priests to order with these molestation of kids nonsense it would soon lose its role as a major religion. Can't hope the same for the adherents of some other religion since women are openly protesting the right to marry off their girls at age 9 or 12! Nobody is forcing them to do this, and as I said above if it embarasses you and others, it is then time for religious reformation, another more enlightened religion or no religion at all.

No innocent person in their right mind is hurt by discussion and exhortation to quit metting out injustice to others. Please post any negative religious news away. Thank you.

Me_Aboki:

@ poster, what have you got against sharia? For example what are your views on the issues raised in the above article? How will or has sharia been imposed or impacted on you?
You seem to have a penchant for negativity against the law and its religion.
Obviously, any body with a mind can cut and paste.

I doubt it would be that difficult to google, find and paste neagative news about christians or christianity and upload it in this forum as way of retaliating against you and your ilk, but unfortunately I would also be hurting and provoking innocent persons that are unlucky to share the same faith with you - a simple consideration you obviously dont have.

Me_Aboki

Do you honestly believe it is fair to have a system of law that chops off the hands of people for petty theft like stealing yams to eat while the lawmakers themselves have robbed the comonwealth of their own people?

Some of my best friends are Muslims, even my house mates in schools. Do you know how we co-existed? I never preached to them to convert to christ neither did they preach to me to convert to islam. For us religion was our private life and common human principles guided our relationships.

Why can't we have that in Nigeria. What is the point of the illegal expansion of sharia law beyond resolving customary issues where parties to the dispute consent to it being used?

Why are we chopping people's hand off for petty theft? why are we flogging people for drinking beer?