Sultan of Sokoto, a prominent religious figure in Nigeria denied the country’s female inhabitants their economic rights. According to BBC News, this leader believes that a woman should not be able to endow the same amount of wealth as a man. BBC News reports, “The Sultan of Sokoto, Mohamed Sa’ad Abubakar, said Muslims would not accept the violation of Islamic law guaranteeing men a greater share.” The Nigerian government has disappointed many of the nation’s women as they are still struggling to earn their basic human rights. Females in Nigeria, including those who are and are not formally part of activist groups must continue to push for economic, social, and political equality to better the lives of future Nigerian citizens.
When such an influential religious leader refuses gender equality, many of his followers will also agree that such justice should not exist. Refusing to grant women economic equality implies that a woman is “less” and therefore can make her even more susceptible to human trafficking and rape. Nigeria cannot tackle these issues and work on solutions to minimize rape and eradicate human trafficking before recognizing the fundamental reason as to why women are more vulnerable to this type of danger. If women continue to be perceived in such a way where their worth is smaller than that of men, verbal and physical violence towards women will prevail and potentially increase. Until the majority embody and practice the perspective that men and women are equal, social issues regarding any type of brutality will never be resolved.
Nigeria’s government is strongly influenced by religion. Nigeria consists of a large Christian and Muslim population. The interpretations derived from these major religions play a tremendous role in the nation’s laws and social norms. While the Sultan of Sokoto does not approve of granting women certain rights, BBC News mentions “Nigeria’s main Christian body has welcomed the bill, saying its religion permitted equal inheritance.” In this particular scenario, a Muslim figure believes his religion does not allow equality while a Christian figure believes his religion does support women’s rights (in this matter at least). This situation could raise and support several already existing stereotypical images of Islam and Christianity. Both religions have produced numerous interpretations. Understandings of this issue within Christianity or Islam alone clash with each other.
Since one Muslim leader does not represent the views of all who follow Islam, it is important to also raise awareness to the fact that the Sultan of Sokoto’s views toward women are not shared by all Muslims, especially when advocating for women’s rights in Nigeria.
Since BBC News also reports that this law is not yet definite, citizens from Nigeria and the rest of the world have the power to sway the Nigerian government to adopting a bill that supports equality between the sexes. By utilizing social media and expressing your support for the bill, you are raising awareness to an issue that many Nigerians are fighting for. If you reside in the United States, contacting your local mayor or governor, demonstrating your concern, and hopefully driving the mayor or governor to address this issue can also raise awareness among townspeople.
Overall, Nigeria’s women and girls need support from not only other Nigerians but also from Africans from other countries, Americans, Canadians, and all who are against discrimination or injustices between the sexes.
