Kaduna Sharia riots of 2000

Global Ethnic Conflicts: Kaduna Sharia riots of 2000

Introduction

The city of Kaduna is the Capital of Kaduna State and the largest in northern Nigeria. To some, it is the symbolic capital of the north. Over the decades, just like other states in Nigeria, Kaduna has experienced outbreaks of violence and infighting between the various ethnic and religious groups within the state (Osaghae & Suberu, 2005, p.19).

Three of the most serious outbreaks of violence in Kaduna State were in 1987, 1002, and 2000. This paper takes a case analysis of the Kaduna 2000 crisis by describing the different ethnic groups involved, the source of the tension that led to the violence, describe how the conflict-affected the country, and lastly, explain how the social construction of ethnic divisions can be seen in the conflict.

Ethnic groups involved

To understand ethnicity in the Kaduna Sharia Riots of 2000, it is first important to understand Kaduna state's population. The north of Nigeria is predominantly Muslim, but Kaduna has a significant population identifying as Christians, about thirty ethnic groups in the south of Kaduna State (Tertsakian, 2003).

One distinguishing feature about the ethnic groups in Kaduna State, especially in the City of Kaduna, is that they have always lived side by side each in the same areas for decades. The majority of the Muslims are of the Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups. It is also to be noted that, because Kaduna is the well-developed city in the north, it has attracted ted a different mix of ethnic groups from other states, which include Christians from the southern states.

The 2000 sharia riots in Kaduna were mainly between Muslims who supported Sharia law's introduction in the state and Christians who objected to the same (Ullah, 2002). Even though this conflict was between Muslims and Christians, it is also important to note that the sides, just like every other conflict in Nigeria, kept distinct religious and ethnic identities. Therefore, it is difficult to classify this crisis as solely religious or ethnic easily (Çanc? & Odukoya, 2016). Therefore, it is interesting that members of the same ethnic group, e.g., Hausa, could be either Muslims or Christians, a feature that further complicates the ethnic divide.

Sources of the tensions

Sharia is an age-long practice for the Muslims in the state of Kaduna. What triggered the Kaduna Sharia riots of 2000 was the impression that Kaduna's state would be turned into a Muslim state. This was after the introduction of a proposal to adopt sharia law in the state in the state government. From 1999, several northern state governors have extended the application of sharia law to criminal law within the states (Tertsakian, 2003).

Although sharia law is designed to apply to only practicing Muslims in these states, it can also be acknowledged that its application has met strong opposition from Christians who often find themselves directly or indirectly affected in various ways, for example, in some of these states, the sale or consumption of alcohol is prohibited, and women are prohibited from traveling in the same vehicles with men in the public transport services. Some Christians have also opposed the application of sharia law by principle, arguing that its practice is a way of effecting the historical north's muslin dominance.

With a specific focus on Kaduna city, the possibility of sharia law was expected to attract controversy because of the almost equal Muslim and Christian populations within the state. According to Tertsakian (2003), the Kaduna Sharia riots of 2000 can be described as "sharia 1" – a first wave that began on February 21 and ended on February 25, and "sharia 2" – a second wave that began on May 22 and ended on May 23.

Following a debate on the proposed sharia law, the Kaduna branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) organized protests on February 21. Some of the protesting Christian youth smashed vehicle windshields and disrupted traffic flow within the Kaduna Metropolis. The situation deteriorated when Muslim youth clashed with the Christian protestors, and the situation spiral out of control when fighting between Muslims and Christians began. The death toll from the fighting has never been ascertained, but it is estimated to be from 200 to 1000 (Yusuf, 2007).

Effects of the conflict

The 2000 Kaduna crisis left long-lasting effects, some of which were immediate responses to the problem and long-lasting others. After the Kaduna crisis had ended, there was reprisal fighting in other states, e.g., Aba. Trouble in Aba began when bodies of native Aba who had been killed in Kaduna were shipped and arrived from Kaduna. The residents of Aba, furious over the death of ethnic members, attacked Muslims from the Hausa ethnic community residing in the city and burned the mosque (Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, 2000). Attacks were also reported in other neighboring towns among them, Umuaha and Owerri.

To the people of Kaduna, the conflict of 2000 left numerous scars. Despite being 21 years ago, children who lost their parents are forever orphans. Also, for many of the citizens of Kaduna, their concerns and grievances were not addressed. For example, despite the massive violence of 2000, there has not been any person who has been brought to justice. This caused bitterness among those who lost their loved ones and their livelihood. This bitterness can be attributed to the 2002 violence, as many saw it as an avenue to revenge and get some form of "justice" for the violence meted on than during the 2000 violence (Tertsakian, 2003).

In addition to the trauma that individuals and families in Kaduna faced during the 2000 crisis, there has been an ever-deepening division in the society. Some areas of Kaduna began to be addressed as "100 percent Christian" or "100 percent Muslim." These characterizations are a result of the 2000 crisis. Consequently, Muslims moved into areas that are considered predominantly Muslim, while Christians moved into areas that are considered to be mostly Christian (Tertsakian, 2003). Those who moved away from their original places of residence did not and have never returned to these areas. This could be used to indicate the continued divisions in the area and the lack of healing and reconciliation.

As a result of the 2000 conflict, Kaduna's state has become increasingly difficult for the state leaders to create consensus on issues as there always fault lines along ethnic-religious lines. Immediately after the 2000 conflict, the then governor of the state, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, found himself in an increasingly difficult position politically (Tertsakian, 2003).

Concerning the Sharia law, the state of Kaduna had to introduce a modified version that was significantly watered down to make an effort to accommodate the concerns of Christian citizens. This is entirely different as compared to the sharia law practiced in other northern states.

The crisis caused a large-scale displacement of persons within the city. With the authorities' failure to resolve these problems, the Christians have been increasing complaints in the state of being marginalized by the state authorities. As a result, there has been a call for creating a Southern Kaduna State (Tertsakian, 2003). The assumption is that; the Christians would occupy the newly created state.

The social construction of ethnic divisions on Kaduna 2000 crisis

The social construction of ethnicity is commonplace among social scientists and argues that social identity is constructed as a basis for shared assumptions about reality. In the current case, the social constructs are Christians and Muslims. These constructs are based on the deity that an individual ascribes to – for Christians Jesus Christ and Muslims Mohamed.

The instructions they each adhere to and follow – for Christians the Bible and Muslims the Quran, from which comes forth Sharia Law. However, these constructs are considered long-standing, objective, and natural (Fearon & Laitin, 2000). Therefore, the agued in this paper that social constrictions of ethnicity – in this case, Christians and Muslims, cannot be seen as the divisions that explain the Kaduna Sharia Riots of 2000.