Muslims Sentenced To Death For Blasphemy


Sheikh Abdul Nyass and eight of his followers have been sentenced to death for blasphemy in Kano, Nigeria. Four others who were arrested on blasphemy charges were acquitted and released.

Citi FM reported thirteen people were arrested for blaspheming the Prophet Muhammad following a gathering last month to honor Senegalese sect founder Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse. Niasse introduced the sect to Nigeria. Nyass’ group reportedly suggested their leader was greater than Prophet Muhammad. The comment ignited violence in the northern Nigerian town where an angry mob is said to have burned down the venue where the gathering was held. In addition to burning down the venue where the alleged blasphemous comments were made, an unknown group partially burned down a portion of the courthouse following the nine’s arrest.

The Upper Sharia Court in Kano sentenced the Sufi Muslim cleric after a secret trial under sections 110 and 302 of the Sharia Penal Code. According to a BBC report, this is the first time the court has sentenced anyone to death for blasphemy. BBC reported celebrations broke out in the area when the sentence was released to the public as many devout Muslim followers believe blasphemy warrants death.

Kano’s newly elected governor, Abullahi Umar Ganduje, still has to approve the death sentence before the nine are actually executed. According to Yahoo! News, no appeals have been filed yet. Kano’s Sharia police chief, Aminu Daurawa, claimed, however, that the nine may face death with or without the governor’s approval.

“The concern is mobs would take extrajudicial action if these convicts are for whatever reason released because they would certainly kill them when they see them on the streets.”

The nine belong to the Sufi sect of Tijaniya, which is reportedly the largest, but also considered by some in Kano to be a heretical group.

Kano, which has been governed by Sharia law since 1999, is a predominantly Muslim section of northern Nigeria, with a predominantly Christian area just to the south.

While news of the blasphemy death sentence sparked jubilation, a similar case in Pakistan has sparked criticism. This time, the accused is a Christian woman by the name of Aasia Bibi. Bibi was sentenced to death for blasphemy for remarks against the Prophet Muhammad said in the heat of an argument with a group of Muslim women in a berry field. Al Jazeera reports Aasia’s case is one of many Pakistani blasphemy cases. Aasia was charged under section 295-C of Pakistan’s Penal Code. It is the only one of the blasphemy laws that carries the penalty of death.

Sentenced in 2010, Aasia waits in solitary confinement on death row while her case is pending with the Supreme Court.

[Photo Credit: Rob Stothard/Getty Images]

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