KADUNA, Nigeria (Islam Online) - As life began to return to normalcy after days of riots, looting and killings, Muslims and Christian leaders met to work out a truce. The fight between the two religious groups erupted Monday morning as a result of a Sunday sermon in churches across the state to demonstrate against Sharia law.
Machetes, cutlasses, guns and other weapons were used in the riots. Workers sifted through the bodies at Ahmadu Bello teaching hospital, where at least 200 bodies, many of them charred, were piled on slabs on the floor and on the ground outside.
The old Kaduna Central Mosque on Kano Road was burnt. On Lagos Street, Alhaji Labaran Ali's shop, and a mosque he built adjacent to the shop were burnt down. And on Independence Road, Alhaj Sani Dauda's automobile dealership was set ablaze.
Some sources put the death toll as high as 400. Some of those killed included a deacon at Nasana Baptist Church.
"A peaceful demonstration by Muslims was staged, and we did not go on a rampage demanding Sharia as the Christians did against it. So they have no cause whatsoever to behave in such a deviant and uncivilized way," said Jamila Bashir Rufa'i.
"Non-Muslims would not be tried under the Islamic law. This is explicit, but it seems some people just do not want to accept it. Look what happened," said Isa Garba, a vendor on the street.
Kaduna State Governor Alhaji Ahmed Markafi explained that nothing would deter his administration from implementing Sharia. "The Christians rebellion will not stop us from implementing the Sharia.The majority of the Christians are not opposed to the implementation. Those who reject it are a minority that has connections and special interests in the liquor industry. The implementation is in response to a popular demand by the majority of the people who are inspired by Sharia, not an imposition or a personal decision, as claimed by those Christians who instigated the riot," Gov. Markarfi told Islam Online.
An emergency debate in parliament's lower house degenerated into chaos, as Muslims and Christians argued the constitutionality of the Sharia pointing fingers at each other for the Kaduna uproar.
The House of Representatives finally passed a motion condemning the fighting and supporting the deployment of soldiers to contain the violence. A hastily added amendment asked the justice minister to refer the question of Sharia to the Supreme Court for interpretation.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo who has been generally reluctant to get involved in the issue, condemned the violence. "What we need now is love, caring for each other and joining of hands to rebuild the nation," said President Obasanjo.
