lennart
29-11-02, 04:07
A group of Islamic scholars yesterday rejected calls for the death of a Nigerian journalist blamed for sparking deadly Muslim-Christian riots with an article about the Miss World contest.
"The Zamfara state government has no authority to issue a fatwa, and the fatwa issued by it should be ignored," the Jama'atu Nasril Islam said.
The group includes leading Muslims from across Nigeria.
More than 200 people were killed last week in fighting between Muslims and Christians in the northern city of Kaduna.
The rioting was triggered by an article in the Nigerian newspaper ThisDay that suggested the Muslim prophet Mohammed would have approved of the Miss World pageant in Abuja and might have wanted to marry a contestant.
Mahamoud Shinkafi, the deputy governor of the predominantly Muslim northern state of Zamfara, urged Muslims on Monday to kill Isioma Daniel, the woman who wrote the article. Other state officials said the order should be viewed as a fatwa, or religious edict. Ms Daniel, a fashion journalist is believed to have gone into hiding.
The Miss World pageant pulled its contestants out of Nigeria on Sunday, moving the finals to London.
AP
Samenvatting: Nigeriaanse islamitische geleerden schreeuwen dat er geen sprake kan zijn van een fatwa en protesteren hiermee tegen de fatwa afgeroepen door een Islamistische staat dat deel maakt van de Nigeriaanse federatie.
"The Zamfara state government has no authority to issue a fatwa, and the fatwa issued by it should be ignored," the Jama'atu Nasril Islam said.
The group includes leading Muslims from across Nigeria.
More than 200 people were killed last week in fighting between Muslims and Christians in the northern city of Kaduna.
The rioting was triggered by an article in the Nigerian newspaper ThisDay that suggested the Muslim prophet Mohammed would have approved of the Miss World pageant in Abuja and might have wanted to marry a contestant.
Mahamoud Shinkafi, the deputy governor of the predominantly Muslim northern state of Zamfara, urged Muslims on Monday to kill Isioma Daniel, the woman who wrote the article. Other state officials said the order should be viewed as a fatwa, or religious edict. Ms Daniel, a fashion journalist is believed to have gone into hiding.
The Miss World pageant pulled its contestants out of Nigeria on Sunday, moving the finals to London.
AP
Samenvatting: Nigeriaanse islamitische geleerden schreeuwen dat er geen sprake kan zijn van een fatwa en protesteren hiermee tegen de fatwa afgeroepen door een Islamistische staat dat deel maakt van de Nigeriaanse federatie.