Nigeria's window of opportunity

The Miss World Pageant controversy that set off deadly Muslim-Christian riots in northern Nigeria two weeks ago shows just how fragile the West African nation's political system remains three years after the return of civilian rule. More than 200 people were killed in rioting following a newspaper column suggesting that the prophet Muhammad might have chosen a wife from among the contestants. The writer of the piece has fled the country following a religious decree urging Muslims to kill her.

The eruption of sectarian violence - while unusual in the numbers killed and its visibility in the media abroad - highlights the typical daily social tensions Nigerians faced.

A less well-known case abroad, but perhaps more typical, is the controversy over the sharia, or Islamic law, which sentenced Amina Lawal. In January, this 30-year-old Nigerian woman is scheduled to be buried in sand up to her neck and stoned to death by her neighbors. Her crime? She had a baby out of wedlock.

Ms. Lawal's sentence was handed down last March, causing an international outcry that forced Olusegun Obasanjo, president of Nigeria's secular government, to declare that the sentence won't be carried out. But his intentions are far from certain given that he hasn't legally overturned the conviction, and two more people have since been sentenced to die in the same manner.

At a time when people in some parts of the world are looking to scapegoat Muslims, there exists a window of opportunity for Nigeria to display the compassionate face of Islam.

As president of one of the world's most populous and diverse nations, Mr. Obasanjo is in a unique position to strike a workable balance between federal power and the rights of the individual states to govern certain aspects of their own affairs. He has the opportunity to preserve the independence of the sharia sentencing system, while complying with the international conventions and agreements to which Nigeria is a party.

The Nigerian government can make use of the moment at hand in several ways. It can initiate a dialogue with moderate representatives of the sharia courts and constructively negotiate sentencing guidelines that are in step with Nigerian and global norms. It can also appeal to other nations with large Muslim populations that have successfully balanced the needs of religion with the responsibilities of secular states to provide models for integrating the shariasystem.

Sharia encompasses four principal schools of Islamic legal thought developed over the past 1,400 years. These different strains of legal tradition reflect the differing needs of local circumstances as the religion spreads through the world. Islamic scholars and international human rights groups could aid Nigerian leaders in the effort to find a more acceptable form of sharia for the Nigerian circumstances. The advisers could seek to ensure that all cases being judged under sharia law meet internationally recognized human rights standards and conventions signed and ratified by Nigeria.

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