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Nigeria's northern state of Kaduna has passed a modified Islamic code aimed at averting the religious violence which claimed over 1,000 lives in 2000, news organisations reported on Friday.
Under the new law passed by the state legislature on Thursday, the application of the Sharia for criminal matters will be limited to lower courts and localities where Muslims are predominant. Traditional or customary law will be applicable at the same level in areas inhabited by non-Muslims.
According to a report by the BBC, civil law will remain applicable in the state's higher courts, responsible for trying criminal offences.
The compromise law is aimed at accommodating the feelings of the more or less equal populations of Muslims and Christians in the state. The initial attempt by Governor Ahmed Makarfi to introduce Sharia was opposed by Christians, resulting in the large scale violence.
Nine other states in northern Nigeria have either introduced Sharia or declared their intention to do so.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions