Islamic rights group rejects America’s involvement in Nigeria’s Shari’ah matters

*Describes Obadare’s call as ‘crossing the red line’

*Not country with bias for only Christianity will be allowed to meddle in Nigeria’s Shari’ah – Respondent

*Says, ‘We are knowing gradually what they call Christian genocide their lord Trump is threatening our country over’

By KEMI KASUMU

“Shari’ah is the Muslims’ way of life. It cannot be separated from Islam. We fought hard to establish it and its foundation is deeply entrenched in legality, constitutionality and democratic values. The moment anyone attempts to touch our Shari’ah, we begin to see him seeking to eliminate Islam in its totality. Our advise is this: don’t go there. It is the red line.”

An islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has rejected a call by Senior Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. Ebenezer Obadare, who recently urged the United States of America to pressurise President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to outlaw Shari’ah and the Hisbah in Nigeria.

Aside MURIC, expressions in certain quarters in the country wonder how, in this wake of multipolar world that power has shifted from the West to Russia and China, done kind of human elements would think America would dictate to world’s largest black country how it does its things.

“North even America, which is clearly a country with bias for the defence of Christianity alone, that can be asked to come and pressurise our own nation’s leadership to ban Shari’ah that is purely inseparable from our lives as Muslims. Only the ignorant or wicked sentimental soul without regard for God can make such a call,” a scholar had said in response to what he described as careless call by Ebenezer Obadare who, he said, only wants the law of his own Christianity to be the order of life in the multireligious country where Muslims’ population is the largest.

The anonymous respondent added that, “We are knowing gradually what they call Christian genocide their lord Trump is threatening our country over.’

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) comes also amidst the widespread condemnations of the unpopular call for USA’s involvement matter of Islam and Muslims in the country, “No to US involvement Nigeria’s Shari’ah matters”.

In a statement issued on Thursday 4th December, 2025 by its Founder/Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC described Obadare’s call as crossing the red line.

It also added that the call raises more questions than answers about the intention of the United States.

‎‎The statement continued, “A Senior Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. Ebenezer Obadare, has urged the United States to pressurize President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to outlaw Shari’ah and the hisbah (https://www.channelstv.com/2025/12/02/at-us-congress-briefing-obadare-calls-for-sharia-law-to-be-declared-unconstitutional/).

‎”The call was made during a joint House briefing in response to US President Donald Trump’s directive and designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.

“This call raises more questions than answers and casts doubts on the intention of the United States in its interest in Nigeria’s war on terror. It amounts to surrendering Nigeria’s sovereignty. It constitutes an affront on the Nigerian constitution, our grund norm. It is therefore a no go area for either the US or the Nigerian government.

“Obadare’s call is mischievous, reactionary and outlandish. It is also undemocratic, neocolonial and imperialistic. As usual, Nigerian Christians who opposed the Shari’ah ab initio and were defeated in due process have now gone through the backdoor to use the US to abolish it. It will not happen. Obadare’s approach is not only cowardly, it is immoral and despicable.*

‎‎”Shari’ah is the Muslims’ way of life. It cannot be separated from Islam. We fought hard to establish it and its foundation is deeply entrenched in legality, constitutionality and democratic values. The moment anyone attempts to touch our Shari’ah, we begin to see him seeking to eliminate Islam in its totality. Our advise is this: don’t go there. It is the red line.

‎‎”The greatest challenge our government will face when it starts tampering with Shari’ah is that it will lose the support of liberal and mainstream Muslims who have been opposing the terrorists. Ditto for the hisbah.

‎‎”The United States in particular must not allow doubts to be cast in its interest in Nigeria’s war on terror. Is the US fighting terror or fighting Islam? This is a critical question for a Western power that has declared its intention to protect Nigerian Christians.

‎‎”Nigerian Muslims will continue to support President Tinubu in his war on terrorist groups as long as there are clear lines of demarcation. But Nigerian Muslims are not fools. The story will definitely change if any government, local or foreign, makes any attempt to outlaw our hard earned Shari’ah.

‎‎”Every nation has its own legitimate institutions. Democracy itself has no particular tabula rasa. The system of government which is approved by the people is its own democracy. Interestingly, Shari’ah is an integral part of our system and it was not introduced by force. Something terrible has gone wrong the moment a government starts tampering with the Constitution to favour a minority group.

‎‎”Any attempt to tie the Shari’ah to the war against terrorism will cost both the US and the Nigerian government the cooperation of Nigerian Muslims in all spheres. That is when we will see an existential threat with microscopic accuracy. Obadare’s call has crossed the red line. The call also raises more questions than answers about the intention of the United States in the war against terrorism. Is the US fighting terror or fighting Islam? That is our question.”