U.S. lawmaker Marlin Stutzman has condemned the use of Sharia law in Nigeria, describing its implementation as barbaric.
“Implementing Sharia law and condoning the murder of innocent people is barbaric,” Mr Stutzman declared on Wednesday while introducing the House of Companion bill to Senator Ted Cruz’s Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act 2025. “We must use the targeted tools we have at our disposal to combat religious violence in all its forms.”
The lawmaker’s contention came after Mr Cruz and four other Republican legislators urged the President Donald Trump administration to use its presidential authority under the Freedom of Religion Act to redesignate Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ amid worries over the violence and terrorism against religious minorities, especially Christians.
Mr Stutzman, who represents Indiana’s third congressional district, said the legislation was meant to ensure consequences for those responsible for violence, especially against Christians in the country.
“I am proud to partner with Senator Cruz to introduce this important legislation, which will create real consequences for those responsible for violence and save the lives of thousands of Christians who are facing persecution,” the lawmaker explained.
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs could not be immediately reached for comment on Mr Stutzman’s claim. The Muslim Rights Concern did not respond to a request for comments.
Several Nigerians, including Usman Jatau, Deborah Samuel, and a woman named Amaye, had been killed by religious fanatics over alleged blasphemy, prompting Amnesty International to berate the Nigerian government for failing to bring to justice Islamic fanatics who lynch alleged blasphemers of Islam.
In April, the ECOWAS Court of Justice ruled that the blasphemy laws in Nigeria violate freedom of expression protections guaranteed under regional and international human rights instruments.
The court, in a landmark judgement on case specifically challenging Kano State’s version of the law, declared that section 210 of the state’s Penal Code and section 382(b) of its Sharia Penal Code Law (2000), “fail to clearly define what constitutes an insult to religion, falling short of the legal clarity required under human rights law”.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu recently denied that terrorists are targeting Christians in Nigeria, urging Nigerians not to allow outsiders to sow divisions in the country.
