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| Nigerian singer sentenced to death for blasphemy in Kano state | Nigerian singer sentenced to death for blasphemy in Kano state |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A musician in Nigeria's northern state of Kano has been sentenced to death by hanging for blaspheming against the Prophet Muhammad. | 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. | 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. | Mr Sharif-Aminu did not deny the charges. |
| Judge Khadi Aliyu Muhammad Kani said he could appeal against the verdict. | 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. | |
| To date, none of the death sentences passed by Sharia Nigeria's courts have been carried out. | |
| The singer who is currently in detention, had gone into hiding after he composed the song. | 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. | 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' | '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. | 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.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. | Mr Inyass is still in detention. |