On Friday, August 29, the Kano state government in northern Nigeria issued a directive making it compulsory for all girls attending schools run by the state government to wear the hijab Islamic headscarf, whether or not they are Muslim. Over one million Christians live in the state, which in June 2000 formally adopted strict Islamic or Sharia law but had previously hesitated to implement it. Changes were expected when Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who campaigned on a platform that he would rigorously implement Sharia, defeated the incumbent governor in April state elections.
Christians in the state are understandably upset over the directive. The directive only applies to school operated by the state government and not to private schools or schools run by the Nigerian Federal Government, which has openly criticized the formal adoption of Sharia law in the northern states.
However, as the World Evangelical Alliance notes, "Considering that the Kano state government has closed virtually all Kano's Christian schools, Christian families are not going to have much choice. Christian schools are closed in Kano on the grounds that they do not meet state mandated standards. The education standards, however, include the mandate that all schools (Christian schools included) must employ Islamic clerics to indoctrinate the children in Islam. Those schools that refuse are closed." (World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty News & Analysis, September 10).
Pray for the Christians of Kano state during this tense time. Pray that the concerns expressed by the Christians will not escalate into violence as it has on occasion in the past. Pray for the young women who will be subjected to this form of religious discrimination. Pray that the church in Kano state will glorify God by staying faithful to His teachings regardless of the uncertainties that they increasingly face.
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