The Sharia Controversy in Northern Nigeria and the Politics of Islamic Law in New and Uncertain Democracies

Bibliographic Data

ID6141010
AuthorsBrandon Kendhammer (corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume45
Issue3
Pages291-311
Publication date2013-04-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueComparative Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0010-4159 • E-ISSN: 2151-6227
PublisherComparative Politics CUNY (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.5129/001041512x13815255434898
OpenAlexW1982259000, W4213262994
LanguageEN
Citations received31
References cited15

In recent years, scholars have struggled to explain high levels of support for both state-sponsored Islamic law (sharia) and democracy in many new Muslim-majority democracies. The origins of popular support for Islamic law in uncertain democratic environments can be considered using the case of Northern Nigeria, where twelve states implemented sharia through democratic institutions during the early 2000s. Sharia implementation movements gain popular support by framing problems common to new democracies (corruption, inequality, poor governance) as moral concerns to be addressed by the state's enforcement of ethical conduct. While sharia implementation has had a dubious effect on democratic governance in Nigeria and elsewhere, support for Islamic law is likely to endure within Muslim communities where governance remains poor

Corporate governance · Democracy · Democratic governance · Economics · Enforcement · Framing (construction · Geography · Good governance · Islam · Language change · Law enforcement · Lawlessness · Political science · Politics · Rule of law · Sharia · State (computer science · Theology · Education and Islamic Studies · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion and Sociopolitical Dynamics in Nigeria · Religion, Society, and Development · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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