The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has blasted what it calls a dangerous push by Dr. Ebenezer Obadare, a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, urging the US government to pressure President Bola Ahmed Tinubu into outlawing Shari’ah law and Hisbah in Nigeria.
MURIC’s executive director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, came out swinging in a strongly-worded statement, accusing Obadare of “crossing the red line” and warning that any move against the Islamic legal system could trigger massive backlash and undermine the fight against terrorism.
“Obadare’s call is mischievous, reactionary and outlandish. It is undemocratic, neocolonial and imperialistic.
“Shari’ah is the Muslims’ way of life. It cannot be separated from Islam. The moment anyone attempts to touch our Shari’ah, we begin to see him seeking to eliminate Islam in its totality. Our advice is this: Don’t go there. It is the red line,” Akintola said.
Obadare reportedly made the controversial pitch during a joint House briefing, reacting to US President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
MURIC is questioning America’s true motives, asking whether the US is fighting terrorism or targeting Islam itself.
The group insists that Shari’ah and Hisbah are constitutionally grounded and reflect the choices of Nigerian citizens — and warns that any attempt to outlaw them would trample on democratic values.
