Apostasy Is Applicable Only in Total Theocratic State –Scholar

Posted by African Examiner African News, Latest Headlines, News Sunday, August 3rd, 2014

By Tajudeen Balogun, Lagos

Members of the public have been urged to exercise restraint in taking position and analyzing the death sentence hauled at a Sudanese woman, Meriam Yahia Ibrahim, for denouncing Islam.

Meriam Yahia Ibrahim

The caution was given on Sunday in an exclusive interview with African Examiner by the Acting Amir (President) of Lagos District of The Companion, an association of Muslim Professionals and Business, Alhaji Nojeem Jimoh.

Alhaji Jimoh said “apostasy” and pronouncing punishment was a very serious and sensitive issue in Islam, saying it was better treated and left to the scholar to handle.

Responding on whether the Sudanese court was right to have pronounced the capital punishment on Mrs Ibrahim, Jimoh, an oil and gas executive noted that apostasy was “a treasonable offence” in an Islamic state.

He posited that since Sudan was not an Islamic nation, it might be incorrect to justify the judgment, yet called for caution as the details surrounding the ruling might could not be established and confirmed.

Besides, the Companion leader insisted that he expected such a serious matter needed to be given an inclusive and extensive judicial process before the final judgment was pronounced, also noting that persuasion might not be able out of possible options to resolve apostasy legal matter even in a strictly Islamic state.

Alhaji Jimoh observed that lack of proper and detailed judicial process might have informed the woman being eventually freed and allowed to exit from the country to another, which was another factor why people needed comprehensive information before taking side.

Mrs. Meriam Yahia Ibrahim, first fled to Rome, Italy after being spared a death sentence for renouncing Islam and later arrived Philadelphia, United States (US) with her husband and two children, en route to Manchester, New Hampshire, where her husband has relatives and the family with hope to settle down. It is being said the freedom granted her was sequel to international pressure mounted on Sudanese authorities.

Daniel Wani, Mrs Ibrahim’s husband, is also a Christian and hailed from South Sudan with US nationality.

Their daughter second daughter Maya, was born in prison in May, shortly after Mrs Ibrahim was sentenced to hang for renouncing her former faith – Islam, reported BBC.