The “Shi‘a factor” in Nigeria’s Public and Political Life (1994–2020): Domestic and International Dimensions

Abstract

The article analyzes the influence of the Shi‘a factor on public and political life of Nigeria, the state in which the phenomenon of transformation of the religious (and more specifically, Islamic) field has been observed in the past few decades due to the growing diversity of movements and sects. In turn, the emergence of new communities contributes to the radicalization of the Islamist discourse in Nigeria and the exacerbation of intercommunal contradictions (between Sufis and Salafis, Salafis and Shiʻites). The authors identify the prerequisites and reasons for the growth in the number of followers of Shi‘a Islam in Nigeria, mainly among the Hausa people, features of political movements with Shi‘a ideology, as well as the role of Nigeria in the global Saudi-Iranian confrontation. The authors resorted to a behavioral approach and comparative analysis of the social base of the Shi‘a organization Islamic Movement of Nigeria and the Salafi Jamaʻat Izala al-Bidʻa wa Ikamat al-Sunna (Society for the Eradication of Innovation and Implementation of the Sunna). It was revealed that the key reason for the radicalization of Nigerian Muslims (living mainly in the north) was the penetration of alien ideologies into the country — radical Salafism and the political aspects of Shi‘a Islam. This was a consequence of Nigeria falling into the focus of Riyadh and Tehran, which are fighting for leadership in the Islamic world. It was established that in the case of Nigeria, Iran is inferior to Saudi Arabia, which has more significant financial capabilities and a network of non-governmental associations and foundations that promote the interests of official Riyadh in West Africa. One of the key areas where the Saudi-Iranian confrontation for the “minds and hearts” of Nigerian Muslims is unfolding is Islamic education.