When democracy was introduced to Nigeria in 1999, one-third of its federal states declared that they would be governed by sharia, or Islamic law. This work argues that such a break with secular constitutional traditions in a multireligious country can have disastrous consequences

A timely publication when the need for greater understanding between Islamic and Western cultures is sharper than ever, the papers in this book are the result of an international conference entitled 'the Shari'ah debate and the shaping of Muslim and Christian identities in Northern Nigeria'. The conference was convened by the University of Jos in northern Nigeria in the wake of the religious/civil strife in the area in 2001 and 2002. The conference, which brought together scholars from Nigeria and overseas considered recent developments in law and religion, and shari'ah from local and global perspectives. The publication is intended to serve as an example of constructive dialogue in an academic setting between Muslims, Christians and those of neither religion, and as a permanent contribution to the literature on law and religion in Nigeria.