AdminBy Emma Essien
Whether you are reflecting on the Maitatsine uprisings of the 80s, the Kaduna Riots & Jos Crises of the 2000s, or the St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo massacre in 2022, it is evident that Nigeria has suffered unthinkable havoc at the hands of religious extremists. Sadly, these heinous crimes are often stimulated and crystallized by the lopsided teachings of some religious leaders anchored on their unbridled temperament and ideologies.
Recently, I came across a viral post on Facebook and a subsequent publication in The Punch where a revered Islamic cleric – Dr. Ibrahim Jalingo gave credence to the incomprehensible doctrine of the death penalty for people who change their religion. Though this belief has been widely denounced and debunked by several Muslim scholars who often point out the intellectual dishonesty of its propagators, it is also morally wrong and constitutionally forbidden.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelDr. Jalingo’s argument hinges on one Hadith and a handful of cherry-picked Qur’anic verses which he interprets as justifying the killing of apostates. But even within Islam, this is a hotly debated issue. Many Muslim scholars and clerics around the world have argued that the Prophet Muhammad never sanctioned the killing of someone simply for leaving Islam. The verses Jalingo quoted are tied to specific historical wartime contexts—not blanket commands for execution today.
More disturbingly, Dr. Jalingo claims that the Qur’anic verse “There is no compulsion in religion” has been abrogated. But many Islamic scholars denounce the idea that a verse so foundational, that is quoted across the Muslim world as a symbol of religious tolerance has been nullified. Abrogation is a complex and controversial concept and using it to dismiss verses promoting peace and freedom is a clear case of intellectual dishonesty.
Interestingly, international law and Nigeria’s constitution promote the principle of freedom of religion as a fundamental human right. Section 38 of the 1999 constitution (as amended) guarantees every Nigerian the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. The constitution gives every individual unlimited power and right to change their religion or belief if they so choose without fear of persecution or death. Furthermore, as a Christian who believes in religious freedom, I find Dr. Jalingo’s justification of the death penalty for apostasy deeply troubling whether morally, logically, or as enshrined in the bible where Jesus warned against religious hypocrisy and called us to love even our enemies. Christ also taught love, compassion, and persuasion, not coercion or violence.
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Nigeria is a secular state, not a theocracy hence the very idea of killing someone for their belief is unthinkable and should never be entertained. Religious law whether Islamic, Christian, or Traditional, cannot override our constitution, and no cleric no matter how revered can justify a death sentence based on selectively curated verses stoked to mislead undiscerning followers and serve their divisive agenda.
Dr. Jalingo’s remarks are not only dangerous, but they are also anti-human, anti-peace, and anti-democratic. Nigeria is currently belaboured with a lot of socio, economic and political challenges hence, fanning the embers of religious intolerance and tension using a subject as extreme as the death penalty for apostasy does not augur well for us as a nation and would only bring about hatred, division, and anarchy. Hence, Dr. Jalingo needs to be cautioned and meticulously guided by Muslim scholars with a superior understanding of the Hadith and Qur’anic verses which he appears to be citing without suVicient context.
We must stand for life, liberty, and truth, not fear and fanaticism.
