The Influence of Islamic Educational Background on Political Participation of Muslim Women in Kano State

This study examines the influence of Islamic educational background on the political participation of Muslim women in Kano State, North West Nigeria. Women's political representation in northern Nigeria remains among the lowest in the country, and the role of Islamic education in either restricting or enabling women's political agency is a contested but under-researched question. The study employs a quantitative survey design with structured questionnaires administered to 350 Muslim women across various educational backgrounds in Kano Municipal, Dala, and Fagge local government areas. Political participation is measured across voting behaviour, campaign engagement, candidacy, and civic activism dimensions. Data are analysed using multiple regression and chi-square analysis. Findings reveal a nuanced relationship: women with formal Islamic education at the tertiary level show significantly higher levels of political participation than those with only traditional Quranic education. However, the type of institution matters, as graduates of reformist Islamic universities demonstrate markedly higher participation rates than graduates of traditional Islamic schools. Religious textual interpretations on women's public roles, as transmitted through Islamic education, significantly predict participation levels even after controlling for socioeconomic variables. The study recommends that reformist Islamic educational institutions in Kano incorporate civic education modules and that Muslim women's political leadership be framed within Islamic jurisprudential arguments for participatory governance. Keywords: Islamic education, political participation, Muslim women, Kano State, gender and democracy.