As Humanists International’s representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council, I have made an oral statement calling for authorities in Somalia to protect Prof. Mahmoud Jama Ahmed who has received death threats. (Read his story Alaraby.co.uk )
ORAL STATEMENT
International Humanist and Ethical Union
UN Human Rights Council, 43rd Session (24th February – 20th March 2020)
General Debate Item 4
Kacem El Ghazzali
“Killing this apostate is bad for him in this life but he will benefit from it in the afterlife”
This absurd yet clear incitement to murder was pronounced on 28 February by a prominent Imam in Somalia against Mahmoud Jama Ahmed, a Humanities professor at the university of Hargeisa.
2019 Mahmoud was sentenced to two and half years in jail for blasphemy, the prosecutors petitioned to increase Mahmoud’s sentence to death, but the original sentence was upheld.
After 10 months in Jail, Mahmoud was released by presidential pardon, on the condition that he does not publish any articles and he is suspended from any university work for five years.
So, what did Professor Mahmoud do that was considered blasphemous and worthy of the death penalty? He asked via Facebook whether “praying to God for water is really a useful strategy to overcome the drought that affects Somalia every year?”
In a similar case, 17-year-old student and Yemeni national, Tujan Albukhaiti, was tried on charges of insulting religious feelings because of some tweets. Tujan, who lives in a country where writer Nahed Hatr was assassinated because of similar accusations of “blasphemy,” has also been subjected to several death threats.
The cases of Mahmoud and Tujan demonstrate clearly how blasphemy laws are being used as pretext to silence public intellectuals and students from expressing their opinions or any constructive criticism.
We object fundamentally to the notion that “blasphemy” should be treated as a criminal offence, and we call on Somalia to offer protection to Professor Mahmoud and on Jordan to guarantee the safety of the 17 year-old student and to drop the blasphemy charges against her.