Muslim Women and Sharia Implementation in Northern Nigeria: An Overview of Fomwan

Abstract

The status of Muslim women in the contemporary society has generated a lot of controversies and still generates serious debates and discussions in scholarly circle. Most scholars are of the views that Muslim women were subjugated, oppressed, and confined to domestic life that excludes their participation outside the home. In the wake of controversial implementation of Sharia (Islamic law) in the governance of some states, the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) served as an agency through which Muslim women speak as well as demonstrate that the implementation of Sharia is the greatest weapon against male domination. This paper examined the role of the FOMWAN in challenging the patriarchal ideology that is deeply rooted in the society. The paper argued that the activism of the organization was instrumental in the enlightenment and education of women especially on their rights. As such Muslim women of many different levels of educational attainment have become increasingly active in the organized articulation and pursuit of their interests and their rights under Islamic law.

Keywords: Islam, Women, Right, Sharia, FOMWAN