ABUJA, September 14, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Muslim scholars in northern Nigeria are launching a campaign to improve women's status through Islamic Shari'ah law, which they believe provides greater protection for women than traditional tribal practices in the region.

According to Ibrahim Naiya Sada, director of the Center for Islamic Legal Studies at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Shari'ah comprised a strong code of social justice that would improve women's lot if properly applied, reported Reuters.

A booklet is produced by a team of jurists, scholars and sociologists headed by Sada aiming at forming the basis of a major awareness campaign, Reuters said Tuesday, September 13.

His team has studied how women are treated in northern Nigeria and consulted with women's rights campaigners, Shari'ah courts, scholars, political and traditional leaders, and other men and women all over the north, added Reuters.

Shari'ah in Nigeria has made world headlines as a threat to women after several were sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, but Nigerian Muslim jurists, both male and female, say Shari'ah is an opportunity to help downtrodden women, said Reuters.

Lawal's case was used to attack Shari'ah laws in Nigera.

Observers say Nigerian women are being discriminated against in all fields, especially education.

But Sada counters the claim in the newly issued booklet saying that "In Islam, parents are responsible for providing education and training to their children. Denying this is against Shari'ah, which expects men and women to be equally educated."

While western human rights groups accuse Shari'ah of exploiting women and abusing their inalienable rights, Sada insisted that some exploitation of women was rooted in poverty, adding Shari'ah could make a positive contribution in this field because it called for Muslims to give alms and support the needy, according to Reuters.

He even explained to Reuters that "Islamic law protects women's rights very seriously, certainly more than our traditional system."

The recent argument concerning the application of Shari'ah in the Northern Nigerian States has its roots back to 1999, with the governor of Zamfara State adopting Shari'ah as the main code for legislation.

Ever since, five women have been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, though no punishment has been carried out.

The latest of these sentenced was Amina Lawal, 30, who has been sentenced to death by stoning for having a daughter out of wedlock.

However, the Islamic court has ruled that the penalty cannot be carried out until Lawal has finished breastfeeding her baby daughter.

On the question of Shari'ah courts sentencing women to death by stoning for adultery, Sada told Reuters there were a lot of misconceptions both within and outside of Nigeria.

He further added that in all cases the sentences had been overturned by Shari'ah appeal courts, so that a way out had been found within the Shari'ah system rather than against it.

He further affirmed that "Islamic law is not after punishment. It is after reducing the punishment as much as possible. If there is the slightest doubt then you use that doubt, that small avenue, and let the person off. That is what happened."

Observers believe that The controversy over Sharia in Nigeria breaks down along ethnic as well as religious lines. Hausa-speaking Muslims in the north support Sharia, and it is opposed by the largely Christian Yoruba and Igbo communities.

Nigeria has the largest Muslim population in sub-Saharan Africa. About half of Nigeria's population of 140 million are Muslims while the other half are Christians or animists.