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| Africa: Subsaharan |
| Nigerian Moslems Debate With Nigerian Christians About Religion |
| 2005-07-14 |
| From Compass Direct Andrew Akume, a Christian lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria city, Kaduna state, northern Nigeria, has disappeared since the issuance of a death sentence against him. A militant Muslim group at ABU passed the sentence on him claiming he blasphemed Mohammed, the prophet of Islam. The death sentence for Akume, the universityâs dean of the faculty of law, is contained in two fatwas (Islamic decrees) issued in the months of May and June by the âConcerned Muslims Movementâ of ABU. In a circular entitled âFatwa: The Resolutions,â distributed on the university campus, Akume was accused of âassault on Muslim sisters and blasphemy against Allah and Islam.â Akume asked a Muslim female student not to wear the hijab (head-to-toe covering) because it hid the identity of the student from lecturers and students. According to Akume, the student disregarded the Council for Legal Educationâs dress code for law students by wearing the Islamic dress. The second fatwa issued said, âOur earlier fatwa holds, and it is a time bomb which will explode in a few daysâ time.â The circular, which contained no dates or names, accused Akume of blaspheming the Prophet Mohammed and of making the faculty of law at the university a âhell for Muslims.â Shortly before his disappearance, Akume submitted a petition to the authorities of ABU denying the accusations made against him by the militant Muslim group. According to the Christian lecturer, he harbors no ill-feelings against Muslim students and he never assaulted any of them. âI was only trying to live up to my responsibility as the dean of the faculty of law by enforcing the dress code for law students prescribed by the Council of Legal Education in Nigeria and approved by Nigerian universitiesâ law faculties. The dress code instructed that only approved dresses be used by law students. Veils and religious dresses were not approved for these students,â Akume stated in his petition. .... |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |
| #1 They always resort to the same methods, no matter where in the world they are. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2005-07-14 18:26 |