An Islamic cleric, Dr. Ibrahim Jalingo, has sparked outrage online after openly supporting the death penalty for anyone who leaves the Islamic faith.
Jalingo, who is the National Chairman of the Council of Ulama, made the statement on Thursday in a post shared on his official Facebook page. He was reacting to critics who questioned the authenticity of a Hadith which says, *“Whoever changes his religion, kill him.”*
He wrote, “The Hadith is authentic and does not contradict the Qur’an. The Qur’an itself allows the killing of apostates and polytheists in certain situations.”
He also claimed that those who say the Hadith goes against Islam are spreading “compound ignorance.”
Jalingo said, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) was given the Qur’an and something like it—that is, the Hadith. Both are from Allah. So, the Hadith that says ‘kill whoever changes his religion’ is part of divine law.”
To support his claims, he quoted several verses from the Qur’an, including Surah At-Tawbah 5, Surah Al-Baqarah 193, and Surah An-Nisa 89 and 91, saying these verses back up the Hadith.
He also argued that the popular verse, *“There is no compulsion in religion,”* has been cancelled, or abrogated, by later verses and Hadith.
In his final comment, Jalingo used strong words against his critics, calling them names and comparing them to “prostitutes and effeminate men.”
The post has since gone viral and attracted mixed reactions.
While some hardline followers supported his view, many others, including Muslims, have described the post as dangerous and divisive.
A user commented, “This kind of statement gives Islam a bad name. Religion should be about peace, not threats.”
Another said, “If people can’t ask questions or have freedom of belief, then it’s not religion, it’s fear.”
buzorcharles_games said: “If he or she converts to Christian, we will defend him or her with all we have. Rubbish. But you guys feel comfortable converting Christians to Islam.”
vktechltd wrote: “The greatest decision I ever made is converting from Islam to Christianity.”
olu_palace commented: “Oga, na religion dem join, no be cult ooo. Even cult self, men dey opt out.”
don_roti said: “This una religion, must everything be vawulence?”
louis_scatter reacted: “Na just small thing remain make Nigeria turn to Afghanistan.”
omor_chuks added: “Any Islamic fanatic is always blood-thirsty.”
magnificent_ken asked: “But those who change political parties are allowed to walk around freely? Religion will never allow this country get better.”
capon_gambino wrote: “Cult, blood in blood out.”
hasaan_lefke said: “Same mindset with Boko Haram. What is the difference?”
saint_oja_lapako1 added: “Na them oooo.”
officialchidon1 said: “This is why Nigeria needs to split up. Northern Nigeria is an Islamic crime scene full of extremist fighters and their supporters. Yoruba is 50/50 but they should allow the Igbos go and grant them their Biafra. They’re completely different.”
saez_instantly commented: “Only cults do that!”
erimojeomosaja added: “Lord Lugard don pack animals with human being 💯😎‼️”
So far, there has been no official response from religious bodies or the government regarding the cleric’s remarks.
