Nigeria

       

 

Muslims flee by truck towards the Benin border from Onitsha in southeastern Nigeria. (Reuters)

1.  80 Killed in Nigeria's Anti-Muslim Violence  
[By IslamOnline(IOL)]

At least 80 people, mainly Muslims, were killed by Christian mobs in violence in the southeastern Nigerian city of Onitsha, a prominent rights group said on Thursday, February 23.

"We counted 60 bodies on Tuesday and 20 on Wednesday and there could be more," Emeka Umeh, head of the local chapter of the Lagos-based Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

He confirmed that "most of the victims are Muslims."

Abuja Central Mosque

2.A Glimpse at Nigeria  
[By Mufutau Adewole Olaleye, IslamOnline(IOL)]
The Giant of Africa, as it is called, was formerly known as Niger-Area and later Nigeria. In fact, much has been said and written about this wonderful place, including its people and culture, economy and politics, that sheds light on the tremendous potential of this African Giant. However, little is known to the outside world about the many exciting attractions available in Nigeria: historic sites nestled amid rivers and rain forests, breathtaking mountain vistas, remote creek villages, miles of pristine beaches, and exotic national wildlife reserves. There are also museums, festivals, music and dance, a rich cultural heritage right down to everyday traditional markets. Understanding the current situation is strongly related to knowing much more about the historical and cultural background of this country.
 

   

Obasanjo has chosen a Muslim academic to chair a committee supervising a key political reform conference.

3. Muslims Lead Nigerian Political Reform  
[By IslamOnline(IOL)]
Reflecting the increasing political clout of Muslims in the west African country, the Nigerian federal government has named a prominent Muslim academic to chair a committee supervising a key political reform conference.

Ishaq Oloyede, a professor of Arabic and Islamic studies, University of Ibadan (UI), will serve as secretary general of the committee overseeing the National Political Reform Conference (NPRC)
 

 

4. Nigeria CIA Factbook  [By CIA THE WORLD FACTBOOK ]
Religions:
Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%
Population:

170,123,740 (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected

   

The clashes forced thousands of people to flee their homes.

5.  Nigeria Muslims bury clashes victims [By IslamOnline(IOL)]
Muslims prepared to bury their dead after deadly clashes with Christian mobs over disputed election results.
JOS, Nigeria — As tensed calm prevailed in the central city of Jos, Muslims prepared on Sunday, November 30, to bury their dead after deadly clashes with Christian mobs over disputed election results.

 

6.  Report: Islam in Nigeria
 [By International Islamic News Agency(IINA)]
Islam was the first religion to penetrate Nigeria, in that when Christianity was brought to the country by the British colonizers, Islam was already being practiced in the country. From the north, Islam then spread to the south of the country, and now it is spreading to all the other parts. It was from the south that Christianity found its way into Nigeria.

Nigeria’s population is now in the region of 120 million, as per the 1996 census, with Muslims accounting for 80,000,000 (70 percent of the population), with Christianity and animism followers making up the rest of the population.

   
 

7.  Popular acceptance of Shari’a in South growing
[By International Islamic News Agency(IINA)]Indigenous Muslim communities in the five states of the South-East Zone, including Edo and Delta States in the South-South Zone of Nigeria, have been reported to accept the implementation of the phase one of the Shari’a Code, relating to self-discipline according to the teachings of Islam. The disclosure was made by the Second Vice-President of the Supreme Council for Shari’a in Nigeria, who is also Imam of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Sheikh Adam Idoko when he was addressing a Shari’a Implementation Committee in Edo State.

 

8. Nigeria: New dawn for Islam
[By Egodi Uchendu]
Religious composition
The The three three main main religions religions are are , , and
indigenous religionsOther Other minority minority religious religious and and spiritual spiritual groups groups include include, , the , and Nigeria Nigeria isis als alsoo the the African African hub hub for for the the Grail Movement, the ),), and and the the Hare Krishnas.
 

   

The caliphate was a pioneering example for keeping the principles of justice in governance, said Obasanjo

9. Nigerian Muslims Mark 200 Years Of Own 'Caliphate'  [By IslamOnline(IOL)]
 Nigerian Muslims mark this week the 200th anniversary of the creation of Sokoto Caliphate, which had unified Muslim-populated areas in the north under a central Islamic authority in 1804.

The caliphate was a pioneering example for re-instating the principles of justice in governance, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo highlighted in a speech during the celebrations that will continue until Sunday, June 27.

The principles established by the founders of the caliphate are still suitable for the circumstances of our age, Obasanjo said in the speech, read by Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

 

10.  Politics, Not Religion, in Nigeria Riots  
Political ends rather than religious rivalries were the engine that fueled deadly clashes between Muslims and Christians in the central city of Jos, religious leaders agree.

"When the politicians want to perpetuate their own political agenda or evils, they can cause chaos in this kind of place," Sheikh Khalid Aliyu, spokesman for the council of imams in Plateau state, of which Jos is the capital, told Reuters on Tuesday, December 2.

Hundreds of people were killed in Jos over the weekend during clashes between Christian and Muslim mobs.

The clashes erupted after rumors that the All Nigerian People Party (ANPP), a predominantly Muslim party, had lost the local election to the federal ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), which is mainly Christian.

   

There are some 16 million Nigerian children studying at the Islamic and Qur’anic schools

11.Revamping Islamic Schools Takes Central Stage In Nigeria
[By IslamOnline(IOL)]
Calls for reforming and developing the Islamic and Qur’anic schools in Nigeria are currently taking center stage in the western African country.

"The Qur’anic schools should rethink their curricula to keep pace with the education system of the country and face up to the contemporary challenges facing Muslims," Professor Abu Baker Abdul Rashid, the Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Studies and Arts in Bayero University, told IslamOnline.net.

He said that though such schools master Qur’anic and religious subjects, they are lagging behind in science and foreign languages, which should be given due attention.