KanoOnline.com Forum

Tuesday, 26 November, 2002, 17:36 GMT
Nigerian Government rejects 'fatwa'


Hundreds of people have been arrested in Kaduna

Nigeria's Government will not allow a death sentence to be carried out on the woman who wrote an article which Muslims complained insulted the Prophet Mohammed, sparking religious riots last week.
The northern Nigerian state of Zamfara endorsed an Islamic judgement calling on Muslims to kill the fashion writer Isioma Daniel after she wrote in the ThisDay newspaper that the Prophet Mohammed may have approved of the Miss World contest and possibly wished to marry one of the beauty queens.

It is binding on all Muslims wherever they are, to consider the killing of the writer as a religious duty

Mamuda Aliyu Shinkafi Zamfara deputy governor  

But Information Minister Jerry Gana said the judgement was "null and void" and promised it would not be enforced.

Following protests over her article, more than 200 people were killed in clashes between Muslims and Christians in the northern city of Kaduna last week.

"The federal government under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will not allow such an order in any part of the federal republic, because the federal republic is governed by the rule of law," Mr Gana told AFP news agency.

"The constitution of the federal republic is the supreme law of the land and the laws do not provide for anyone who has done something like what ThisDay has done to be killed," he said.

The Miss World contest was moved to London after the riots.

Ms Daniel resigned from her job and is in hiding but is believed to be still in Nigeria.

ThisDay has retracted the article and printed several apologies.

'Irresponsible journalism'

After the article was published, Muslim leaders in Kaduna urged their followers to demonstrate and text messages were sent on mobile phones.

Zamfara's deputy governor Mamuda Aliyu Shinkafi told religious leaders in the state capital, Gusau: "Like Salman Rushdie, the blood of Isioma Daniel can be shed."

 
The speech was rebroadcast on local radio in Zamfara state, which was the first state in Nigeria to introduce Islamic law.

"It is binding on all Muslims wherever they are, to consider the killing of the writer as a religious duty".

A "fatwa" was pronounced on Indian-born British author Salman Rushdie in 1989 by the then Iranian spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, for alleged blasphemy in his novel, the Satanic Verses.

A fatwa is a legal statement issued by an Islamic religious leader.

A senior official from Nigeria's highest Muslim body said that he was still studying the Zamfara statement.


I think the writer of the newspaper article should have known that there are tensions about religion

Kaltume, Kaduna  
Click here to send your comments  

Lateef Adegbite, secretary general of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, hinted that he disagreed with the decree, because the journalist was not a Muslim and the newspaper had retracted the article and published apologies, according to the French news agency, AFP.

But a Zamfara state spokesman said that any leader could issue a fatwa.

State Commissioner for Information Umar Dangaladima Magaji told Reuters news agency that the decree had been in response to pressure from Islamic associations in Zamfara.

He said it could defuse anger that might otherwise lead to further bloodshed.

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has blamed "irresponsible journalism" for the bloodshed.

Sharia courts

Calm has now returned to Kaduna and mass funerals have begun for more than 200 people known to have died in the four days of rioting.

Court cases against the alleged killers have started.


Churches and mosques were attacked


The Red Cross said 215 bodies had been counted on Kaduna's streets and in mortuaries and correspondents say the death toll could rise yet further. Muslim defendants are being tried by the Islamic or Sharia courts in Kaduna State, while Christians are appearing before civilian jurisdictions.

It is estimated that more than 1,000 people were injured and more than 11,000 made homeless in the clashes.

Civil rights activists said more than 20 churches and eight mosques were burnt down in the city as well as a number of hotels.

Two years ago, Kaduna saw more than 2,000 deaths in clashes between Christians and Muslims, sparked by the introduction of Sharia law.

Assalamu Alaikum
Since when did, Alhaji Mahmud Shinkafi, bestowed upon himself the right to adjudicate on matters not within his domains?
Is he a judge or Mullah? one cannot say. He is a politician and that is final. Without further ado, I will say, the pronouncement by Shinkafi that Isioma Daniel must die, is a statement of ignorance without basis in Islamic Sharia- being supposedly practiced in Zamfara. This should tell us that the DGov's vision of Sharia lies more on arbitrary judgements than Islamic due process and fairness. Anyway, with sarkin Musulmi Maccido, NSCIA, JNA and Council of Ulama and ofcourse sharia courts (with Khadis), who needs Muda Shinkafi to say what needs to be done.
This statement is most unthoughtful and makes mockery of Sharia.
I totally disagree. Isioma daniel is a non muslim and as such, not subject to Islamic laws since our country is not officially Islamic.
Allahu a'alam
Bissalam.

Is't true that Isioma has flee to US?:-/

well.. let her leave the country... i bet the *censored* will be happy... Naija is better off wit' out her...
c'mon.. like she wasnt lookin' for an excuse to get american visa... pack her self in container.. make she shoo...

and Amin... i think i might have to agree with u..

i juss hope people we wont forget the essence of our Religion thru all this rubble...


The Qur'an (8:61)
"But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace"


The Qur'an (3:133)
?Those who spend in ease as well as in adversity and those who restrain (their) anger and pardon men.? And Allah loves the doers of good (to others).?


The Qur'an (16:125)
?call people to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation and argue with them in the best manner.?


The Qur'an (2:208 )
?O you who believe, enter into complete peace and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Surely he is your open enemy.?


The Qur'an (60:08 )
"Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just."

LoL!... ok.. that's kute.. i post that last mesg.. and *BAM* i see two smileys with shades eyein' meeh like i theif su'in... sorry.. people, if ur offended...
it's [2:208] and [60:08]


The Qur'an (2:190)
?And fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you but be not aggressive. Surely Allah does not love aggressors.? (emphasis added)

Wrong dont use violence to curb anything it will only beget more violence.


Fyne Dyme Queen i am disappointed in u glorying this kinda behavior. comon if she is killed now do u think that her ppl or other tribes will just stand and not do anything lets get real here. We should look at the real problem here and not use the poor girl as way to put off something that has haunted us b4 her time.

Please guest dont be disppointed FDQ is a muslim and Islam is our way of life.

Am with DYME 1/2ly & with Guest 1/4ly............

2 b honest, u cannot argue with sum1 who denies d first principles so sista dyme no point............so guest I will say nufin. but then...... 2 may talk when it cumz 2 religion, but three cannot take part in a conversation of the most sincere & searchin sort when it cumz down 2 religion.

Guest, u 4 a fact du agree that indeed Isioma wrote su'in bad.......but then I cant possibly see how a writa will put up an aritcle that is not being checked up by d Edita.............he owes Isioma a duty of care, 2 c 2 d fact that everything published will not provoke readers. In a sense, I dont really think Isioma alone is 2 b blamed wat about d editor.

Regardless 2 wat guest has said...........therez nutin 2 b disaappointed with Dymez statement mayb ur own misinterpretation :-/.

Well gud............u were dissappointed by her statement......so it duz annoy u ryt?

So wat du u xpect if sum1 went nuts on Isioma statement? ::)  

From my own point of view, d muslims took law in2 their own hands, simply bcuz there is howeva a limit @ which forbearances ceases 2 b a virute, perhaps d muslims have beared so much that this tym they had 2 take mattas in2 their own hands  as nutins been done.......

Due 2 thisdays negligence: This is wat has resulted on Isioma. so oga or madam guest nutin shud dissappoint u.............no one here told Isy 2 put up her article.

By d way that Isioma gyel went 2 d same uni where she acquired that her skills wey she cum put that landed her in2 trouble.

Anywayz d damage has already been done. All I can say is nxt tym ppl shud prevent things like this happenin again: as prevention is beta that cure

hmmm guest.. i s'pose ur one of those area boys, ahmed waziri (fake ID), and all the other hatemongers... *u guys actually play the role of the devil, analyze urselves*

well.. if u read my posts a little bit more.. and READ and COMPREHEND the Verses i posted.....u'll see that i actually CONDEMNED all the negative things that happen...

as for isioma, i'm angry at her.. but i wont threaten her and i wont kill her, because i believe Allah has his own way of dealing with ignorant people like her.... i aint taking justice into my own hands... only Allah can judge us
anyhow...May Allah forgive her, cuz its the ignorance that's bothering her...

All,

Isioma's article was an OPINION article. It wasn't an Editorial, and as such it definitely wasn't the official stance of Thisday. Put simply, it was just somebody's opinion! A civilized reaction would have been to write a dignified response to the article, or to stage a peaceful protest at least. But now look what happened. Millions wasted on a beauty pageant, so many needlessly killed, and we'll never live down the shame.

Personally I find that Isioma's comments were definitely in bad taste, but with the way things blew out of proportion, do you guys really think something like this wouldn't have happened if Isioma's article never saw the light of day?  

The Fatwa was wrong but I think Thisday have a problem if their Editors can not remove stories that have stepped out of bound, that will abuse other peoples sensibilities. As far as I am concerned it is the duty of the editor to ask Isioma to remove the offending part of her publication after reading the said article.

Thisday is to blame, Isioma is to blame and the rioters are ignorant and very wrong. The Fatwa is wrong because Isioma can only be tried by a court and a judgement passed before anything is done to her and for the fact that she has appologised she is suppose to be allowed to be.

fatwa on isioma is absolutely wrong, the woman had no idea what she waz sayin. they av no right. and just look at the person that said fatwa should be imposed on isioma, he looks like an illitrate both in wetern education and islamic education. no offence to the zanfara ppl, i am just sayin what i see ;)

note: i am also a muslim brother

An honest question to all muslims:

Just curious about your attitude on the fatwa thing. If Salman Rushdie came knocking at your door, would you kill him?

For those of you who do not know who Salman Rushdie is, check this link.

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/rushdie.htm

i sooo have the feeling to tell u to go and flush ur head in an unflushed toilet... but i wont say it cuz it aint nice... ::)