Latest news with #ShariaCourt
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Posts claiming Nigerian woman facing death penalty for renouncing Islam are a hoax
'This lady, Zainab Muhammad, is facing the death penalty in Zamfara state, Nigeria, for converting from Islam to Christianity. She will be appearing in Sharia Court this Friday and might be sentenced to death for switching religions,' reads the first paragraph of the caption of an X post published on May 20, 2025. Grounded in Islamic texts, sharia courts operate in twelve of northern Nigeria's Muslim-majority states and can try criminal cases. In the rest of Nigeria, the legal system is based solely on secular laws derived from the constitution (archived here, here and here). The post, which has been shared more than 800 times, includes a picture of a woman wearing a headscarf, implying she is the person referred to in the caption. The purported story of Muhammad was first published by the Nigerian online newspaper, Sahara Reporters, on May 20, 2025. It was subsequently removed but AFP Fact Check saw an archive of the article on Wayback Machine, which also disappeared. Another media outlet, however, captured an archive of the Sahara story here. It had rapidly spread on social media, such as here on X and in scores of Facebook posts, such as here and here. It was also picked up by other popular Nigerian news platforms (like here, here and here). However, after doubts emerged as to the story's veracity, Sahara Reporters and other outlets deleted their articles. Indeed, the claim is false; the woman in the photo is not a Nigerian named Zainab Muhammad, nor is there a death penalty case pending in Zamfara state against a woman who converted to Christianity. Using Google Lens to conduct reverse image searches on the keyframes from the video, AFP Fact Check traced the image to a TikTok video published on March 26, 2024 (archived here). In the video, the woman speaks with an American accent and identifies herself on social media as 'Aaliaa'. In the video, she talks about her mother's reaction to her conversion to Islam. A review of her Instagram profile also led to a video dated May 18, 2025, with a caption expressing how much she missed her family in Senegal (archived here). Via an InstaStory on May 21, 2025, she disassociated herself from the claim, and wrote that she has 'never stepped her foot in Nigeria & never had plans to'. In a statement on May 20, 2025, a spokesperson for Zamfara governor Bala Idris explained that 'no such case exists before any Shari'ah court in Zamfara'. 'The Zamfara State Government has acted swiftly by summoning all relevant authorities and security agencies to verify the authenticity of the story, which ultimately proved to be a blatant falsehood created by Sahara Reporters,' Idris wrote on his verified X account (archived here). 'To ensure accountability and certainty, the state government has confirmed with the Grand Khadi of the Zamfara Sharia Court of Appeal regarding any similar cases. He stated that there has never been such a case before any Shari'a court in Zamfara State.' Sharia law enforcement in Nigeria has fuelled religious tensions and exposed gaps in constitutional protections for religious freedom (archived here).
AFP
27-05-2025
- AFP
Posts claiming Nigerian woman facing death penalty for renouncing Islam are a hoax
'This lady, Zainab Muhammad, is facing the death penalty in Zamfara state, Nigeria, for converting from Islam to Christianity. She will be appearing in Sharia Court this Friday and might be sentenced to death for switching religions,' reads the first paragraph of the caption of an X post published on May 20, 2025. Image Screenshot showing the false post, taken May 21, 2025 Grounded in Islamic texts, sharia courts operate in twelve of northern Nigeria's Muslim-majority states and can try criminal cases. In the rest of Nigeria, the legal system is based solely on secular laws derived from the constitution (archived here, here and here). The post, which has been shared more than 800 times, includes a picture of a woman wearing a headscarf, implying she is the person referred to in the caption. It had rapidly spread on social media, such as here on X and in scores of Facebook posts, such as here and here. It was also picked up by other popular Nigerian news platforms (like here, here and here). However, after doubts emerged as to the story's veracity, Sahara Reporters and other outlets deleted their articles. Indeed, the claim is false; the woman in the photo is not a Nigerian named Zainab Muhammad, nor is there a death penalty case pending in Zamfara state against a woman who converted to Christianity. US influencer Using Google Lens to conduct reverse image searches on the keyframes from the video, AFP Fact Check traced the image to a TikTok video published on March 26, 2024 (archived here). In the video, the woman speaks with an American accent and identifies herself on social media as 'Aaliaa'. In the video, she talks about her mother's reaction to her conversion to Islam. A review of her Instagram profile also led to a video dated May 18, 2025, with a caption expressing how much she missed her family in Senegal (archived here). Image Screenshot of Aaliyah's post from May 18, 2025, taken May 22, 2025 Via an InstaStory on May 21, 2025, she disassociated herself from the claim, and wrote that she has 'never stepped her foot in Nigeria & never had plans to'. Image Screenshot of Aaliya's InstaStory, taken on May 21, 2025 In a statement on May 20, 2025, a spokesperson for Zamfara governor Bala Idris explained that 'no such case exists before any Shari'ah court in Zamfara'. 'The Zamfara State Government has acted swiftly by summoning all relevant authorities and security agencies to verify the authenticity of the story, which ultimately proved to be a blatant falsehood created by Sahara Reporters,' Idris wrote on his verified X account (archived here). 'To ensure accountability and certainty, the state government has confirmed with the Grand Khadi of the Zamfara Sharia Court of Appeal regarding any similar cases. He stated that there has never been such a case before any Shari'a court in Zamfara State.' Sharia law enforcement in Nigeria has fuelled religious tensions and exposed gaps in constitutional protections for religious freedom (archived here).
NDTV
28-04-2025
- General
- NDTV
Islamic Court Judgments Not Legally Valid Or Enforceable: Supreme Court
New Delhi: Islamic courts like "Qazi's Court", "Kaziyat's Court (Darul Qaza)" or "Sharia Court' have no recognition in law, the Supreme Court has reiterated. The court made it clear that any direction given by them is not applicable in law and neither are their decisions binding. A bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah -- while hearing an appeal by a woman seeking alimony on February 4 -- cited a 2014 judgment that said Shariat courts and fatwas do not have legal recognition. The woman was refused alimony by the family court which had relied on a settlement deed filed before an Islamic court. The decision was upheld by the Allahabad High Court. Criticising the approach of the Family Court, Justice Amanullah underscored that 'Qazi Court', '(Darul Qaza) Kaziyat Court', 'Sharia Court' and similar others have no recognition in law. Their decision is not binding and no one can be coerced into accepting it. The exception was when the affected parties voluntarily accept the decision and act upon it and such action is not in conflict with the law of the land. Even then, such decisions will be valid only between the parties who choose to accept it and not for a third party, the top court said. The judges also criticized the reasoning of the Family Court that since it was the second marriage of both parties, there was no possibility of the husband demanding dowry. Such a conclusion is conjecture and shows an ignorance of law, the top court said. The bench directed the woman's former husband to pay Rs. 4,000 per month as maintenance. This payment should date from the time she went to the family court, the judges decided. The woman was married in September 2002 through Islamic ceremony. It was the second marriage for both. Her husband divorced her in 2009 through an Islamic court. The woman then approached the Family Court seeking maintenance, but it rejected her claim pointing out that her husband had not abandoned her. She herself was the main cause of the dispute and departure from the matrimonial home due to her nature and conduct, the Family Court said.
Daily Tribune
11-04-2025
- Daily Tribune
Father granted visitation despite conviction
A father convicted of insulting and defaming his own children has been granted weekly overnight access, following a ruling by a Sharia Court. The judgment permits him to see his four children from Thursday evening until Saturday evening each week. He will also be allowed visits on the first day of Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha, during the school spring break for seven days, the summer holiday for a fortnight, and on certain religious and national dates. Periods Overnight stays are included in most of these periods. Handover will take place either at the mother's home or the nearest social centre, depending on the day. The mother objected. She told the court the children were reluctant to visit their father's home, where he lives with his wife, sister, nephew and the nephew's wife. She referred to his 2022 criminal conviction for verbal abuse and defamation, and said he rarely saw the children. Complaint A complaint had also been filed against her, she said, for bringing the children to him. The father, through his lawyer Jassim Al Essa, submitted a copy of the divorce certificate and the children's identity cards. The court noted that he was the legal guardian and, by law, entitled to contact unless there were sound reasons to prevent it. It found none.
Gulf Insider
27-01-2025
- Gulf Insider
20-Year-Old Wins Legal Fight For Passport And ID
The High Civil Court has ordered the issuance of a passport and national identity card to a 20-year-old woman after a protracted legal battle to establish her paternity. The case, which spanned several years, involved a mother's persistent efforts to secure officialdocumentation for her daughter, born from a dissolved marriage over 15 years ago. The father initially denied paternity, prompting the mother to file a lawsuit. After numerousattempts, the father finally agreed to a DNA test, which confirmed his biological relationship tothe daughter. Nema detailed the case, explaining that her client, a Bahraini citizen, gave birth to the daughtermore than 20 years ago. 'Three years ago, the mother initially filed a legal case to establish the daughter's parentage,but the initial ruling was dismissed,' Nema said, adding that, 'The mother appealed thedecision, leading to a successful appeal in the Sharia Court. This appeal not only establishedpaternity but also urgently granted the daughter the right to live with her mother.' However, relevant authorities initially refused to issue official documentation, prompting themother to file the lawsuit. Source The Daily Tribune News Of Bahrain
