Nigerian Muslims have undertaken the hajj for centuries. As Nigeria approached independence in the 1950s, Muslims began to discuss and debate this practice on a national scale, through Islamic associations and political committees and in the Nigerian press. At the same time, Muslim politicians began to publicly don the ‘Mecca uniform’, the white robe (thawb) and black cord (‘iqāl) common to Saudi Arabia. While Nigerian pilgrims had worn these garments for decades, their conspicuous adoption by the political elite was novel. This sartorial link between politicians and the East was amplified by photographs and commentary circulating nationally in the press, and generated a mix of admiration and concern. Christians (and some Muslims) questioned whether a secular state ought to oversee the hajj. Within roughly a decade, politicians ceased their official use of the Mecca uniform as the press became saturated with exaggerated stories of ‘corrupt’ pilgrims engaged in smuggling and other crimes. The proliferation of other mass media, such as radio and novels, contributed to this critique. This was not the end of the Mecca uniform’s public life, however, as others – such as Yoruba women in the south-west – continued to employ it in self-fashioned public images, including obituary notices. The transformation of the Mecca uniform into an object of national discourse engaging a range of Muslims and also Christians speaks to the complex dynamics shaping Islam in modern Nigeria.

几个世纪以来，尼日利亚穆斯林一直在朝圣。随着尼日利亚在 1950 年代接近独立，穆斯林开始在全国范围内通过伊斯兰协会和政治委员会以及尼日利亚媒体讨论和辩论这种做法。与此同时，穆斯林政治家开始公开穿上“麦加制服”、白袍 ( thawb ) 和黑绳 ( 'iqāl) 沙特阿拉伯通用。虽然尼日利亚朝圣者已经穿着这些服装数十年，但它们被政治精英显眼地采用是新奇的。政客与东方之间的这种服装联系被媒体在全国范围内流传的照片和评论所放大，并引起了钦佩和关注的混合。基督徒（和一些穆斯林）质疑世俗国家是否应该监督朝觐。在大约十年内，随着媒体充斥着“腐败”的朝圣者从事走私和其他犯罪的夸张故事，政客们停止了对麦加制服的正式使用。广播和小说等其他大众媒体的激增助长了这种批评。然而，这并不是麦加制服公共生活的终结，其他人——例如西南部的约​​鲁巴妇女——继续在自我塑造的公共形象中使用它，包括讣告。将麦加制服转变为涉及一系列穆斯林和基督徒的国家话语对象，说明了现代尼日利亚塑造伊斯兰教的复杂动态。