Submission statement: Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest and most religiously diverse countries, has enforced Sharia law in 12 Muslim-majority states since 1999. As a consequence, the *Hisbah* (Islamic police) routinely conducts raids on restaurants and shops during the month of Ramadan, arresting anyone found eating or drinking.
In past years, those arrested would usually be freed after promising to fast, and their relatives/ guardians would be summoned and ordered to monitor them to make sure they fast. This is no longer the case, as ftom last year the Islamic police have stepped up their enforcement efforts. Now, those arrested will have to face trial in Sharia courts, and their fate is uncertain. It is a disappointing development for secularism in Nigeria.
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Submission statement: Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest and most religiously diverse countries, has enforced Sharia law in 12 Muslim-majority states since 1999. As a consequence, the *Hisbah* (Islamic police) routinely conducts raids on restaurants and shops during the month of Ramadan, arresting anyone found eating or drinking.
In past years, those arrested would usually be freed after promising to fast, and their relatives/ guardians would be summoned and ordered to monitor them to make sure they fast. This is no longer the case, as ftom last year the Islamic police have stepped up their enforcement efforts. Now, those arrested will have to face trial in Sharia courts, and their fate is uncertain. It is a disappointing development for secularism in Nigeria.