Why The Protest About Kano Blasphemy Judgement?
Let us understand this from the onset. The QURAN says in chapter 2 verse 256 that “There is no compulsion in religion. Meaning, “Do not force anyone to become Muslim, for Islam is plain and clear, and its proofs and evidence are plain and clear. Therefore, there is no need to force anyone to embrace Islam.” We passionately guard and cherish our faith as others do too. People should not judge us by the misdeed of few Muslims out of the 2 billion followers of the religion spread across all races and countries of the world. There is no religion on planet earth that does not have black sheep among its followers. Religion is a very sensitive issue. We should therefore show circumspection when discussing it.
Those who do not believe in what we as Muslims believe in should not cast aspersions on our religion and sacred values. Everyone may express their opinion on the judgment of Upper Sharia court sitting in Kano. The judge, Khalid Muhammed ALI-Kani found the Muslim Singer, Sharif Yahaya Aminu, 30, guilty of blasphemy and consequently sentenced him to death by hanging. Aminu pleaded guilty of the charges. He has the option to appeal within three months.
The judgment which apparently did not go down well with followers of some religions and human right groups has caused bad blood among the dissenting voices. There is no true Muslim that I know who is not happy with the judgment, even though the government will hardly implement punishment.
The groups feel that the death penalty for blasphemy is a prima facie of the rights to freedom of thought and expression. Theophilus Abu Agada, the spokesman for pro-Democracy and human rights group said, “death by hanging of Yahaya Sharif Aminu for blasphemy against prophet Muhammad is repulsive to natural justice, equity and good conscience and gross violation of his rights to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and expression.” Freedom is an ambiguous term subject to different interpretations. Aminu’s freedom stops where Prophet Muhammad’s begins. It is good to punish sacrilegious people, to serve as a deterrent to others who may contemplate committing the same sin.
The problem with human right crusaders like Agada is they only see the world from the prism of their narrow and biased minds. They equate Christianity with modernism and progress. They assume that modernity and man-made laws, with all their inherent defects, imperfections and destructive consequences for mankind, are the best solution to the perplexities and intractable problems of humanity. By their utterances we can understand their utter disrespect for Muhammad (SAW), our beloved prophet and the most revered prophet Almighty God has sent to mankind. They do not hide their disdain for the sharia. They don’t give a damn to the feelings of Muslims because they regard us as people who do not exist.
It is very difficult for non-Muslims to see reason with the penalty for blasphemy on Aminu. The reason is that they despise Islam-they look down on the religion as archaic and its followers as retrogrades. This perhaps explains the reason they like to speak about complex matters in Islam (often quoting out of contest) which only learned Muslims can provide answers.
To engage in a peaceful and beneficial interreligious discourse, I always refer my Christian brethren to a book entitled, “WHAT THE QURAN MEANT: AND WHY IT MATTERS.” It is a book written by Dr. Garry Wills, a renowned American catholic, a Pulitzer prize-winning historian and writer in politics and religion. To discover what the Quran says, the first step is to read the text carefully. Garry Wills has just done that and invites people of all faith to engage with this rich and inspiring text.
Religion is very important to Muslims. It is the common thing that defines them. We as Muslims should therefore try as much as possible to avoid profanities, respect the feelings and religions of others. We expect others to reciprocate this in good faith.
Saleh Bature [email protected]