The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has condemned the murder of a butcher, Usman Buda, in Sokoto State over an alleged case of blasphemy against the Prophet, Muhammad.
Disclosing this in a statement, the chairman of the state’s branch, Muhammad Mansur Aliyu, urged Muslims to stop taking the law into their hands each time there’s an alleged blasphemy.
While noting that there is no dispute that Islamic law provides death sentence against anybody who insults, defames or brings disrepute to the Prophet of Islam, it does not leave the killing open in the hands of private individuals as it happened in the case of Usman Buda.
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He said, “We assert that Islam abhors jungle justice, because it will lead to the taking of innocent lives and destruction of the properties of innocent persons. Islam does not allow people to do what they like or take laws into their hands as they deem fit. It is only the courts (Shariah and common law courts) that have powers to execute offenders after proving them guilty through fair trial, this position can be found in many Qur’anic verses such as Qur’an 4:65, 6:57, 12:40 and 43:10 etc.”
According to him, Islamic law stipulates that the offence of blasphemy, like other offences, should be established through evidence by witnesses before a court of law and the court shall pronounce such a person guilty of the blasphemy before execution could be carried out by the authorities.
While condemning the murder, he urged Muslims to stop jungle justice and allow the law to take its course whenever issues of such nature arise.
