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| Olde Tyme Religion |
| Cracking down on Nigeria's 'pleasure island' |
| 2007-07-17 |
| Tonight on "Religious Cops: Nigeria"... 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. Oh, boy. Knew that was comin... 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. Looks like that strength in numbers thing works pretty well, eh,... INFIDEL! 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. Who needs water when ya got weed? The BBC News website learnt that some Muslims often cross the religious divide - under the cover of darkness - from the Sharia part of Kano to Sabon Gari for dancing, alcohol and sex. Noooooooo! What would the Prophet say! I'll bet he'd be soooooo disappointed in you guys. Gee whiz... "I often bring many of them here at night to drink," says Mohammed, a taxi driver in the city. "It's an open secret, my brother. The code is thou shall not be caught," he says with a knowing smile. See. It says so right here in the Koran. Gimme a second, I'll find it... Mohammed wouldn't say whether he also makes the nocturnal pilgrimage to the city's pleasure island. "As long as no-one sees you, you remain a good Muslim and the Hisbah can't come after you." ...and I go at night when the Prophet is sleeping. Even in the Sharia part of Kano, prostitutes often disguise their trade by covering themselves up in the Islamic veil. Hey, baby? Wanna see what's under the bag? But now, the Hisbah are saying enough is enough. "Sharia has been very successful in Kano. So, we cannot allow a tiny spot in the city to ruin our successes so far," Abubakar Rabo Abdulkarim, who is in charge of operations at the Hisbah, told the BBC News website. He says his men will soon launch a raid on Sabon Gari to cleanse it of all "instruments of sin". I got a feeling a severe ass kicking laid on these clowns would make them disappear forever. Is there a Nigerian Mafia? But Mr Abdulkarim also understands the complex cultural nuances of his environment. "Sharia is not a one-day affair. We will get there very soon. Knowing the nature of our environment, we have to be really careful," he says. ...so we don't get our asses kicked by the locals. He says he has started by reducing the amount of alcohol that goes into Sabon Gari without actually entering the district. "We mount checkpoints on the main roads leading into the city and impound all lorries attempting to bring alcohol into our city. So, in fact, all the beer you see in Sabon Gari was smuggled in." Thanks, Abu. We can charge more now. Will you be dropping by to pick up your end or should we send it to you? But Obinna Amaechi, sitting in a roadside bar with a beer bottle in his hand, is not worried. "They are not serious. They come here at night and join us at the bar and now they say they want to come and destroy the beer parlours? I think they are joking," he says nonchalantly. What happens in Sabon Gari, stays in Sabon Gari... Bar-owner Chidinma Anakwe or "Madam Cash", as her customers call her, further points out that that the Hisbah said non-Muslims would not be affected by Sharia. "They say Sharia is for the Muslims. As for me, my religion does not stop me from selling or taking alcohol, why should they try to interfere with my business?" she asks. Ummmmmm...because they're fanatical Muslims, maybe? Madam Cash runs a roadside bar on a main road in Sabon Gari. Despite her passionate defence of her liquor trade, she wouldn't want her picture taken, afraid that her bar might be singled out by "some people" for cleansing. Yeah. "Some people"... Her fear is common among the Christian and animist residents of Sabon Gari. Having been through many ethnic and religious clashes, in which hundreds of people were killed, they have learnt to massage the system rather than rock the boat. Many of them reacted almost violently when attempts were made to take their pictures or those of their bars. Sounds like Vegas in the old days. "As long as they remain this careful, they will keep their businesses and the Hisbah may never come here," Solomon Gapsiso, a Christian who has lived in Kano for more than a decade, said. Oh, I wouldn't make book on it. And it sounds like you could at Madam Cash's. Mr Abdulkarim says other societies may tolerate sex workers, but his green-uniformed Hisbah will not allow Kano to become the modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah. However, there is yet another district where Mr Abdulkarim and his band of Hisbah volunteers will not go, even if they rid Sabon Gari of its "sinful" night life - the army and police barracks. These also boast small "mammy markets", where alcohol is freely sold and sex-workers operate unhindered. ...and have guys with guns who might get pissed off. It is unlikely that Mr Abdulkarim's unarmed patrol teams could venture into these enclaves, suggesting Kano will continue to implement Sharia in patches for a long time to come. Sounds like the Hisbah are a lotta noise when the possibility of a showdown exists... |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #5 I knew it was a TU Productions™ inline the minute I started :-) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-07-17 20:39 |
| #4 Religious Nutters using eco language? Naw. By "pollution" they mean spiritual. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2007-07-17 15:11 |
| #3 is this another example of Blairs Law? Religious Nutters using eco language? |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2007-07-17 12:49 |
| #2 The way the locals can be this early and quickly is to grab and disappear the first batch of thugs that tries to make trouble. Then start rumors of a super secret vigilante organization who will horribly kill and morality cop that ventures into that part of town. Such bullies are inherently cowardly, and will only brutalize those who show signs of weakness, running away screaming and whining if confronted head on. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-07-17 12:32 |
| #1 ...and I go at night when the Prophet is sleeping. Nah, the Proffet's "Night Journey To The Farthest Mosque" probably included Kano on its itinerary. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2007-07-17 12:07 |