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Islamic court in northern Nigeria sentences man to death for blasphemy

Published 10/08/2020, 17:54
Updated 10/08/2020, 18:00
© Reuters.

By Hamza Ibrahim
KANO, Nigeria Aug 10 (Reuters) - An Islamic court in
northern Nigeria sentenced a 22-year old singer to death on
Monday for blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad in a song he
circulated on the messaging platform WhatsApp in March.
Kano state, in predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria, has
Islamic sharia courts that function alongside civil courts.
While the courts are active, death sentences for blasphemy are
unusual and the most recent, handed down in 2015 to nine
followers of the Tijani Muslim sect, have yet to take place.
The man sentenced on Monday, Yahaya Aminu Sharif, is a
resident of Kano city, the state capital that is also the
commercial hub for the north. It was once a key stop on
trans-Saharan caravan routes connecting Africa's interior with
the Mediterranean.
Kano state was among several northern states to introduce
sharia law in 2000. The prosecutor, Inspector Aminu Yargoje,
described the verdict as fair, and said it would prevent future
blasphemy in the state.
Guards at the court barred journalists from speaking to
Sharif after the sentencing. A court spokesman told Reuters he
has 30 days to appeal.
Protesters earlier this year burnt down Sharif's family home
in a fit of rage over the song.
The court also sentenced another man, Umar Farouq, to 10
years in prison for making derogatory statements toward Allah in
a public argument.

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