DAR AL ISLAM - NIGERIA: MOSLEM JIHAD TO BE WAGED ON CHRISTIANS IN SABON GARI

Cracking down on Nigeria's 'pleasure island'
By Senan Murray

The Sharia police, or Hisbah, say they will soon commence raids in an enclave in northern Nigeria's ancient Muslim city of Kano - dubbed by locals as "pleasure island".

The Hisbah have given themselves the task of enforcing morals and Islamic law in the city, but so far have largely left Sabon Gari, or New Town, alone, complete with its bars, brothels and night-clubs.

But they say they must stamp out such "sinfulness" in case it "pollutes" the rest of the city.

Sabon Gari has always been a district populated by "settlers" or non-Muslim southern traders and professionals who have settled and worked in Kano.

But after years of ethnic and religious violence, much of Kano's small Christian population withdrew further to Sabon Gari to seek safety in numbers.

This has resulted in a peaceful co-existence between residents of the area and the rest of the city.

Sabon Gari also happens to be one of Kano's biggest ghettos, with blocked sewers, gullied streets and piles of rubbish on almost every street corner.

Cannabis is also openly smoked in this part of the city and pipe-born water is even rarer than in the rest of Kano.

'Open secret'

Kano is among a dozen states in northern Nigeria practising Sharia law, despite initial strong opposition from the federal government, Christians and human rights groups.

More than a dozen Muslims have been sentenced to death by stoning for sexual offences like adultery and homosexuality since the Sharia legal system was introduced in 2000.

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1) Cracking down on Nigeria's 'pleasure island'