An Abuja-based Islamic scholar, Prof Ibrahim Maquari, shares with SOLOMON ODENIYI his view on the recurring issue of blasphemy in the country
The issue of blasphemy has again come to the fore in the country. Can you please educate the public on the concept of blasphemy in Islam?
Blasphemy depends on a number of things. If a Muslim engages in blasphemy, his punishment is death, and there is a consensus among Islamic scholars on this. But if the person happens to be a non-Muslim, there are some things we consider. For instance, if a Christian says Prophet Muhammed (SAW) is not a prophet of God and the Quran is not a true book of Allah, we don’t consider this as blasphemy because of his religion. This could be the position of his religion; we don’t consider this as blasphemy. But to call the prophet unprintable names, we don’t condone that.
