The Legal and Religious Status of Women in Nigerian Society
Abstract
What are the practical and theoretical challenges to protecting women鈥檚 rights under Shariah Law in Northern Nigeria? Can the tensions between the secular rule of law and the "new Shariah" in Nigeria be reconciled? Drawing from her experience as a lead attorney with a team devoted to the cause of human rights for women in Nigeria, Ibrahim will speak about her pursuit of justice for her clients and the challenges of defending women under the severe sentences stipulated by Nigerian Shariah Courts.
Speaker Bio
Hauwa Ibrahim听is a听Visiting Lecturer on Women's Studies and Islamic Law at Harvard Divinity School and is currently a fellow at both the Human Rights Program and the Islamic Legal Studies Program at Harvard University. She is also a senior partner at Aries Law Firm. Working as a lead attorney with a team devoted to the cause of human rights for women in Nigeria, she has won a number of precedent-setting cases before Islamic Sharia courts. Ibrahim has been a visiting professor at Saint Louis University School of Law and Stonehill College, as well as a World Fellow at Yale University. In 2005, she was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament, which honors individuals or organizations for their efforts on behalf of human rights and freedoms. She was cited for her work as defense counsel in approximately 50 cases that were brought under the aegis of Sharia law, many of which involved women sentenced to death by stoning. Ibrahim earned an LLB and a masters in international law and diplomacy from the University of Jos in Nigeria; a BL for legal practice from Nigeria Law School; and a masters of law degree in international studies at American University鈥檚 Washington College of Law.
Event Photos
Hauwa Ibrahim spoke at a lunch colloquium presentation about Women in Nigerian Society on March 23, 2011 at The Boisi Center.
Photos by Kerry Burke, MTS Photography
Event Recap
What are the challenges of protecting women鈥檚 rights under sharia law in Northern Nigeria? On March 23, Hauwa Ibrahim, a Nigerian attorney and visiting lecturer at Harvard Divinity School, detailed her experiences defending women in a number of precedent-setting cases to a riveted audience at the Boisi Center. As senior partner at her firm in the capital city Abuja, Ibrahim has challenged the 鈥渘ew sharia鈥� launched in Nigeria in October 1999. The new laws, deriving from the Maliki School of Islam, incorporate severe punishments including amputation of limbs, stonings and floggings, and are based on what Ibrahim refers to as the 鈥渆ye for an eye concept.鈥�
Ibrahim argued that the tensions between the secular rule of law and the new sharia in Nigeria are best reconciled within the social system, rather than through international interventions that might undermine important cultural institutions. For example, Nigerian women鈥檚 literacy rates are much lower than men鈥檚, but it would be counterproductive to pose the issue as one of human rights, Ibrahim said, since the idea of gender equality simply doesn鈥檛 fit the predominant understand