Christian advocacy groups are raising major concerns over a bill in Uganda that would establish a parallel court system functioning on the basis of Sharia law.
ADF International said in an April 7 release that the Islamic judicial system would handle marriage, divorce, custody, and other personal law matters for Muslim marriages.
But it could impact Christians and other non-Muslims implicated in certain cases.
“Uganda’s proposed Sharia courts bill would subject Christians and other non-Muslims to Islamic law, while undermining fundamental rights — especially for women, children, and religious converts,” Kelsey Zorzi, the director of advocacy for global religious freedom at ADF International, said in the release.
“The Ugandan Qadhis Courts Bill should not proceed within the Parliament, and it is imperative that both international and Ugandan actors oppose it.”
Supporters are attempting to pass the bill before April 24.
Zorzi warned that “the proposed bill’s passage would represent a dangerous expansion of Sharia law into Sub-Saharan Africa at a time when Christian persecution is growing.”
The effects would be especially devastating for women and girls, since Sharia law allows underage marriage and deprives them of equal rights relative to men.
Because Islamic law does not allow Muslims to become Christians, the Sharia courts could also lead to consequences for Muslims who renounce Islam and trust in Jesus Christ.
ADF International noted that the “mandatory and exclusive nature” of the Sharia courts would preempt Christians from handling family law matters in a civil court if a Muslim is involved.
Uganda’s court system is based on English Common Law.
A substantial majority of the population of Uganda, a former British protectorate, considers themselves Christians.
The U.S. State Department reported in 2023 that 82 percent of Ugandans identify with Christianity — 39 percent are Roman Catholic, 32 percent are Anglicans, and 11 percent are Pentecostals.
Muslims only compose 14 percent of the population, but the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council counts it closer to 35 percent.
The Washington Stand reported in 2022 that while Christian communities face less overt violence relative to other Sub-Saharan nations like Nigeria, individual converts to Christianity often experience immense hardship.
“They are carried out by radical Islamists, encouraged by local Muslim clerics or terror groups like al-Shabab and ISIS-affiliates,” the group said.
There are various cases of Muslims physically mutilating and ambushing converts after turning from Islam to Christianity.
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