Christians warn against Sharia in Kwara

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has said it will not allow the introduction of Sharia law in the northwestern state of Kwara, 'The Guardian', a Lagos daily, reported on Friday. CAN said in a communique that a call by the Kwara Moslem Forum (KMF) group for Islamic law in the state was "a recipe for destabilisation and disaffection". The communique, issued after a recent meeting of the standing committee of Kwara's CAN chapter, alleged that the KMF had political undertones and aimed to destabilise the state government. It vowed to prevent Islamic law with "the last drop of its blood," the daily reported. The governments of some northern states have tried to reassure non-Muslims that they would not be affected by Sharia, but Christian groups have said this would be impossible given the close daily contact between the two communities. Many people have died in clashes since the introduction of Sharia in the north. In the central state of Plateau, authorities said this week that 51 people had died after fighting between Muslims and Christians that broke out on 7 September in the state capital, Jos. Other sources reported some 165 deaths.