A Bauchi traditional leader and custodian of the Danmalikin Bauchi title, Aminu Danmaliki, has dismissed claims that the practice of Sharia law in Northern Nigerian states poses a threat to Christians or Christianity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While briefing journalists on Sunday, Danmaliki said those interpreting Sharia as a danger to non-Muslims \u201care either misinformed or ignorant of its true concept,\u201d insisting that the Islamic legal system has no jurisdiction over individuals who are not Muslims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to him, a recent attempt by a group of Christian activists to discredit Sharia before a joint session of the American Congress has \u201crevived an old, unfounded debate driven mostly by fear, misinformation, and political motives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said, \u201cNot too long ago, the same individuals went to the US Congress and falsely alleged that genocide was being carried out against Christians in Nigeria. While they failed in that attempt to turn the world against Nigerian Muslims, they would also fail in this renewed crusade against Islam and Sharia law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Danmaliki stressed that Sharia law is constitutionally protected and remains an integral part of governance that Muslims desire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet it be known that we Muslims shall never accept a governance system in Nigeria without Sharia, which has nothing to do with Christians and is fully recognised by the Nigerian Constitution,\u201d he insisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The traditional leader argued that Sharia is neither foreign nor extreme, adding that its influence can be traced in the development of Western legal traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citing the works of legal scholars such as John Makdisi, Danmaliki noted that several English common-law institutions were adapted from Islamic jurisprudence through Norman interactions with Muslim Sicily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese parallels do not exist in Roman law, Canon law, or Anglo-Saxon traditions. Their closest match is Islamic law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf Sharia were inherently unjust, why would medieval England adopt some of its principles?\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Danmaliki also referenced early American scholarships that regarded Sharia as a sophisticated legal system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He cited the 1894 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in U.S. v. Addams, where the court referenced legal scholars who described Islamic law as rational, humane, and protective of civil liberties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that 19th- and early 20th-century U.S. congressional publications acknowledged Islamic law\u2019s contributions to the protection of minorities, contractual rights, constraints on arbitrary rule, and judicial integrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn short, the United States once regarded Sharia not as a threat but as a respected legal civilisation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking in Nigeria\u2019s context, Danmaliki insisted that Sharia is not imposed on Christians and has no legal force over them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSharia in Nigeria applies only to Muslims. This is guaranteed by the Constitution and by state legislation,\u201d he observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Danmaliki title custodian added that non-Muslims can not be tried under Sharia criminal law, non-Muslims can not be compelled to appear in Sharia courts, and non-Muslims have full access to secular courts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He pointed out that many Christians voluntarily subscribe to Sharia courts in cases involving Muslims because the process is faster and perceived to be less corrupt, maintaining that, \u201cSharia strengthens\u2014not weakens\u2014Nigeria\u2019s unity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Danmaliki argued further that Nigeria already operates a multi-legal system\u2014common law, customary law, and Sharia\u2014and that each serves the communities that believe in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is multiculturalism, not division,\u201d he said, adding that Sharia continues to thrive because it delivers justice, not because it is imposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He concluded that the enduring value of Sharia lies in its foundational principles of justice, equity, due process, protection of life and property, accountability for leaders, and fairness in commercial dealings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese values shaped civilisations. They shaped English law. They shaped American legal thought. And they continue to shape millions of lives in Nigeria,\u201d he posited.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Culled: PUNCH<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Bauchi traditional leader and custodian of the Danmalikin Bauchi title, Aminu Danmaliki, has dismissed claims that the practice of Sharia law in Northern Nigerian states poses a threat to Christians or Christianity. While briefing journalists on Sunday, Danmaliki said those interpreting Sharia as a danger to non-Muslims \u201care either misinformed or ignorant of its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":88015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-90225","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Sharia-law.jpg?fit=450%2C350&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90225"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90226,"href":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90225\/revisions\/90226"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}