Some northern Nigerian governors, judges, traditional leaders, and Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi have been threatened with sanctions by the US government for allegedly supporting blasphemy laws and tolerating religious violence.
The US Congress is considering a bill that would punish Nigerian officials for allegedly “promoting, enacting, or maintaining blasphemy laws” or “tolerating violence by non-state actors invoking religious justification.”
Within ninety days of the bill’s enactment, the US Secretary of State is required to submit a report outlining officials who may be subject to financial restrictions, asset freezes, and visa bans under Executive Order 13818, a component of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability framework.
Additionally, the proposed law covers “Judges, magistrates, prison officials, or other judicial or law enforcement authorities who have enforced blasphemy laws, including through prosecution, conviction, imprisonment, or other deprivation of liberty of individuals pursuant to such laws.”
According to the bill, the reporting period spans ten years before to the legislation’s enactment and continues yearly thereafter, guaranteeing that both previous and current infractions are examined.
Twelve northern states—Zamfara, Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kebbi, Yobe, Kaduna, Niger, and Gombe—are singled out in the bill because since 1999, Sharia law has been extended to include criminal and public morality rules.
It accuses some northern political and religious leaders of fostering “a culture of impunity” surrounding mob justice and religious intolerance and characterizes the application of Sharia-based blasphemy laws as discriminatory, especially against Christians and minority groups.
Muslim communities in northern Nigeria have traditionally used sharia, which is rooted from Islamic jurisprudence, as a system of moral, social, and personal governance.
The significant turning point occurred between 1999 and 2000, soon after Nigeria returned to civilian control, when a number of northern states, starting with Zamfara under Governor Ahmad Sani Yerima, extended the application of Sharia to criminal law and public morality.
In less than two years, around twelve northern states had formed parallel Sharia courts alongside their secular counterparts and enacted comparable Sharia-based penal codes.
The United States is concerned following a string of blasphemy-related cases and mob deaths throughout northern Nigeria, including the well-known events involving Mubarak Bala, Yahaya Sharif, and Sheikh Abduljabbar Kabara in Kano, others are Deborah Samuel and Usman Buda in Sokoto, Roda Jatau and Yunusa water seller in Bauchi, Christina Oluwatoyin in Gombe, Sadik Mani in Katsina and the infamous case of Amaye the food vendor in Niger State.
While the trial is ongoing, some have passed away and others are still incarcerated after challenging the death penalty that was imposed on them.
Human rights organizations like Humanists International and Amnesty International have frequently denounced similar instances, demanding that Nigeria remove the death penalty for blasphemy and impose more robust safeguards for the right to free speech and belief.
Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, one of the people allegedly impacted by the sanctions threat, seemed unmoved, despite the fact that the majority of northern governors had not yet released an official collective statement.
Gumi stated he is not aware of any sanctions because there has been no formal contact on the matter, but he wouldn’t be shocked if his name was mentioned in an exclusive phone conversation with DAILY POST on Tuesday from his location in Turkey.
“Well, I didn’t even know they mentioned my name. I haven’t seen it in the papers, and no one communicated it to me. But it’s not surprising, anyone who speaks against cutting ties with America, of course they wouldn’t like him. May God protect us.” Gumi stated.
Sheikh Gumi, however, dismissed the possibility of sanctions as “a distraction” and urged harmony and peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians in a live video posted on his Facebook page on Sunday.
“Let us live in peace. If we live peacefully, the evil plans of the West will not succeed against us,” he said.
“Do not worry about their noise. Allah will not grant them victory. We must hold firmly to our religion and fear Allah. It is not by killing Christians or insulting them, they are our partners in nation building.”
The cleric demonstrated how respect for one another promotes unity while filming from the ancient Haifa Mosque in Sofia, Turkey.
“This mosque used to be a church,” he said, “but today it stands as a symbol of peace and coexistence, not war. That is what good relationship brings.”
The 12 states listed in the proposed law have not yet released an official comment, and attempt to contact the governors’ spokespeople was unsuccessful.
Before penalties can be implemented, the law still needs full congressional approval and the US President’s assent. If approved, it would be Washington’s first public punishment of Nigerian officials for violating religious freedom.
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