Chrislam
Although this has created a political ground for religious and ethnic clashes, this has also required Muslims and Christians to long coexist in Nigeria.
There is a limited anthology on Chrislam studies, largely due to its relatively small following predominantly concentrated in Lagos.
Some of the most prominent findings have been uncovered by specialists Dr. Marloes Janson, Birgit Meyer, Mustapha Bello and Professor Corey L. Williams.
The continual intermixing of ethnic peoples in Yorubaland precedes colonization and the modern-day borders of Nigeria, Togo and Benin.
[6] The Supreme Military Council appointed the Constitutional Drafting Committee, which proposed the role of a Federal Sharia Court of Appeal.
[6] This dated back to the period of indirect rule under the British, who helped rationalize an Islamic court system in the North from 1933 onwards.
[6] Moreover, the North-South divide meant that the establishment of Sharia Law would have served as a counterweight to the concentrated economic and social power of the South.
[7] The adoption of Sharia law served as a symbolic assertion of the North's influence on the Constitution, and as a leverage against the economic and administrative power of the South.
[6] The Sharia debate resulted in a wave of political and religious explosiveness, with fears and conspiracies of a consolidated Islamic Republic in the North.
Yorubaland is home to Muslims, Christians and practitioners of traditional Yoruba religion, who have coexisted for centuries and are relatively evenly mixed amongst the population.
This religious struggle then extended beyond the college campus, resulting in violence amongst Muslim and Christian students across urban centers in Northern and Central Nigeria.
[citation needed] The rise of Pentecostalism in Nigeria has contributed to the onset of Chrislam and the changing religious landscape in the country.
[8][1] For the south, an elite class emerged and profited, participating in conspicuous consumption and forming a connected upper-class network.
[1] The Saturday service takes place in Tella's temple, which Janson describes as "a garage-like white building with in the middle a colorful altar that is separated from the prayer ground where, like in a mosque, the congregation sits on the floor.
Tella states that like Muslims have Mecca, and Christians have Jerusalem, the holy site of pilgrimage for Chrislamists is Mount Authority, which was divinely chosen by God.
[1] The Initiation Rite involves the observance of 80 rules and regulations that strictly outline a moral Chrislam lifestyle, including dress codes such as head-covering practices in Islam, and dietary restrictions based on the Old Testament.
[citation needed] In 1989, Dr. Samsindeen Saka (some sources spell his first name Shamsuddin or Samsudeen) claimed to found his own Chrislam movement.
Oke Tude stipulates that progress in life is inhibited by evil powers that hold persons trapped in bondage with Satan.
[1] During initiation, new members sometimes temporarily stay in the Oke Tude guesthouse, which is run by Saka and serves as an additional source of income for him.
Many women who have been unable to conceive have joined Oke Tude due to its promise of destroying the 'yoke of barrenness'[1] through specific prayer rituals.
"[10] Today, the group has over 200 active members and teaches that Islam, Christianity and African Indigenous Religions are derived from the same source and should be reunited into a single religious movement.
During the weekly service, the OSC consults the Quran, the Bible, and the Odu Ifa (the Yoruba literary corpus) and "The God of Africa, Jesus and Muhammad" are called upon in unison.
"[10] The OSC reiterates Chrislam missions of the past, whilst emphasizing a syncretic approach that amasses traditional African religions to the same extent as Muslim and Christian elements.
"Spirituality without boundaries"[9] is a term coined by Michigan University anthropologist Mara Leichtman, and refers to religious fluidity within the African context.
For example, it is not uncommon across Africa to see Muslims lighting candles for the Virgin Mary, or to believe in Jesus and pray to multiple prophets, which Leichtman recalls witnessing during her time researching Senegal.
[12] Similarly, Nigeria has also seen syncretism between Igbo Muslim and traditional African religions predating the rise of Chrislam, particularly in Lagos State.
