African fruit basket

Kenya | A long-awaited new constitution avoids direct Islamic law but divides the electorate into bananas and oranges | Priya Abraham

If one placed bets on the next country in Africa most likely to adopt Shariah, or Islamic law, Kenya would not be the top pick. But even the largely Christian nation and former British colony could not escape a push to codify and widen the country's Islamic influence. The good news is that the Christian community has so far succeeded in defeating it.

Muslims tried to add clout to the East African nation's small Islamic court system through Kenya's new constitution, which the nation has been drafting and debating for almost three years. It is scheduled to go to a national referendum Nov. 21.

As it stands, the final draft now up for vote offers religious courts for Christians, Hindus, and Muslims, with the option that parliament can add more. The courts will have jurisdiction over issues such as inheritance, marriage, and divorce in cases where all parties profess the same religion. But the provision, which lumps in Islamic courts with other religious tribunals, is weaker than what Muslims campaigned for, carrying over functions that have long been practiced.