Robert Ruby and Timothy Shah offer their analysis of Nigeria’s Christian-Muslim divide and the role it will play in the elections scheduled for April 21, 2007. If the presidential election takes place as planned, it will mark the first transfer of power from one elected civilian president to another in a country seen as the lynchpin of stability for all of West Africa. However, the election campaign has served as a sharp reminder of the persistence of Christian-Muslim tensions in Africa’s most populous country. Nigeria’s population is nearly equally split between Muslims and Christians, with adherents of both sects expressing a desire for major political change and support for the underpinnings of democracy. However, there exists much distrust between the communities, with Christians and Muslims identifying according to sectarian affiliation before invoking their African or Nigerian identities. While the country’s oil wealth and extreme poverty will also play a role in national politics, religious faith will exert a powerful influence on elections and on Nigeria’s public life.
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