Introduction

In a context of post-civil war constitutional reform and a rapidly expanding oil economy, Nigeria's Second Republic (1979–1983) began as an era full of promise and ambition. Looking back on the last three decades of Nigerian history, some of these ambitions have been realized, most notably in the continuing integrity of the Nigerian federation and its 1999 return to democratic politics. But success has been decidedly uneven: not only is Nigeria still challenged by rampant poverty and corruption, but it has also become notorious for incessant occurrences of localized yet often highly violent conflict. Interfaith relations have been a factor of crucial influence throughout this recent historical period, shaping Nigeria's successes as well as its challenges. In this chapter we seek to outline the most important aspects of the historical and contemporary context in which Muslim-Christian relations in northern Nigeria are taking place.

Nigerians are arguably among the most extrovertly religious people on the planet: religious identities are highly salient, religious groups and institutions are well-organized and fulfil important social and political functions, and religion has an important place in the structures and processes of Nigerian politics. This prominence of religion applies equally to affiliates of Islam, Christianity and African ‘traditional’ religions – although the last group has shrunk tremendously over the past century, due to conversions to the two dominants faiths and their multiple denominations. While relations between affiliates of different religions or denominations are often cordial, there is also an aspect of competition and conflict to Nigeria's interfaith relations. This aspect is, for example, visible in the Boko Haram insurgency and other forms of collective violence, as well as in the political struggles around Sharia. Due to the challenging and destructive nature of the competitive aspect of interfaith relations, particularly around access to resources and representation within the state, many of the chapters in this book discuss violence as part of the repertoire of interfaith interactions. In keeping with this focus, much of this chapter will revolve around Muslim-Christian contention, as it tries to disentangle the roots and historical trajectories of interfaith encounters in northern Nigeria.