Most of the people that I met in Zamfara said they welcomed Sharia. It has cut down drinking and violence, and the court is no longer an intimidating place of wigs and gowns, doing business in a language that they do not understand.
After six weeks in Zamfara, I can see how Judge Isah's court functions well as a small claims court for this rural Islamic society. But my reservations about Sharia remain the same. For me, the sticking points are still the floggings and the amputations, and the undeniably unfair treatment of women in rape and adultery cases.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
BBC Gives Inside Look At Nigerian Sharia Court
On Monday, BBC News posted a lengthy report on the operation of a Sharia court in the northern Nigerian state of Zamfara-- the first Nigerian state to introduce Islamic law. The report concludes:
