Nigerian Singer Sentenced To Death In Kano State For Blasphemy

A musician in Nigeria's northern state of Kano has been sentenced to death by hanging for blaspheming against the Prophet Muhammad. An upper Sharia court in the Hausawa Filin Hockey area of the state said Yahaya

Sharif Aminu, 22, was guilty of committing blasphemy for a song he circulated via WhatsApp in March. Mr Sharif Aminu did not deny the charges. Judge Khadi Aliyu Muhammad Kani said he could appeal against the

verdict. States across Muslim majority northern Nigeria use both secular law and Sharia law, which does not apply to non Muslims. Only one of the death sentences passed by Nigeria's Sharia courts has been carried out

since they were reintroduced in 1999. The singer who is currently in detention, had gone into hiding after he composed the song. Protestors had burnt down his family home and gathered outside the headquarters of

the Islamic police, known as the Hisbah, demanding action against him. Critics said the song was blasphemous as it praised an imam from the Tijaniya Muslim brotherhood to the extent it elevated him above the Prophet Muhammad.

Judgement will serve as deterrent to others

The leader of the protesters that called for the musician's arrest in March, Idris Ibrahim, told the BBC that the judgement will serve as a warning to others "contemplating toeing Yahaya's path"."When I heard

about the judgment I was so happy because it showed our protest wasn't in vain. "This judgement will serve as a deterrent to others who feel they could insult our religion or prophet and go scot free," he said.

Who is Yahaya Sharif Aminu?

Few people had heard of him before his arrest in March. An Islamic gospel musician, he is not well-known in northern Nigeria and his songs were not popular outside his Tjjaniya sect, who have many such musicians within their ranks.

How common are death sentences in Sharia courts?

Several sentences have been passed, including for women convicted of having extramarital sex - cases which have caused widespread condemnation. But only one has been carried out - a man convicted of killing a woman and her two children who was hanged in 2002.

The last time a Nigerian Sharia court passed a death sentence was in 2016 when Abdulazeez Inyass, was sentenced to death for blaspheming against Islam during after a secret trial in Kano. He was alleged to have said that Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse, the Senegalese

founder of the Tijaniya sect, which has a large following across West Africa, "was bigger than Prophet Muhammad". The sentence has not been carried out as a death penalty in Nigeria requires the sign off of the state governor. Mr Inyass is still in detention.