Christianity Today

Until last year, Kabiru Lawal, 29, was a committed Muslim. He embraced the revivalist Islamic spirit that had engulfed northern Nigeria and had resulted in 12 states implementing Islamic law in 2000, including his home state of Zamfara.

Then Lawal read about Jesus Christ in Islam's holy book. "I read in the Qur'an that Jesus Christ was coming back into the world and that all Muslims must believe in him," Lawal said. He gave his life to Christ, and soon the religious police came gunning for him—literally. Three times they tried to kill him, in keeping with a strict interpretation of Islamic law's proscription against apostates. But each time he escaped.

Lawal now lives in hiding, afraid to walk the streets of Gusau. He fears that if spotted, he may be murdered by just about anyone, as many Muslims believe it is the duty of any follower of Islam to kill the backslidden.

According to some media reports, enforcement of Shari'ah law in northern Nigeria has eased. In December, The New York Times reported that "these days, the fearsome [religious] police officers, known as the Hisbah, are little more than glorified crossing guards. They have largely been confined to their barracks and assigned anodyne tasks like directing traffic and helping fans to their seats at soccer games."

While punishments for immorality, like amputation for theft or stoning for adultery, are increasingly rare, local leaders say attacks against Christians and their places of worship have not lessened.

"Churches are being demolished and Christians persecuted," said the Rev. Murtala Marti Dangora, secretary of the Kano State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). "The Shari'ah has aggravated the persecution of Christians here."

During the last ...

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