Shari'ah on Trial

In November of 1999, Nigerians took to the streets demanding the re-implementation of shari&#39;ah&#160;law in their country. Two years later, many Nigerians supported the death sentence by stoning of a peasant woman for alleged sexual misconduct. Public outcry in the West was met with assurances to the Western public: stoning is not a part of Islam; stoning happens &quot;only in Africa&quot;; reports of stoning are exaggerated by Western sensationalism. However, none of these statements are true.&#160;&#160;<I>Shari&#39;ah on Trial</I> goes beyond journalistic headlines and liberal pieties to give a powerful account of how Northern Nigerians reached a point of such desperation that they demanded the return of the strictest possible shari&#39;ah law. Sarah Eltantawi analyzes changing conceptions of Islamic theology and practice as well as Muslim and British interactions dating back to the colonial period to explain the resurgence of shari&#39;ah, with implications for Muslim-majority countries around the world.&#160;