An Islamic cleric and the National Chairman of the Council of Ulama, Dr. Ibrahim Jalingo, has endorsed death penalty for religious faithful who renounce their religion.
Prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Ibrahim Jalingo has defended a Hadith prescribing death for apostates, dismissing critics as “compound ignoramuses” in a fiery Facebook post.
The National Chairman of Nigeria’s Council of Ulama cited the Hadith – “Whoever changes his religion, kill him” – while attacking skeptics who claim it contradicts the Quran. “This will give me the opportunity to expose his ignorance to the world,” Jalingo wrote, referring to critic Issiyaku Abdulkadir who questioned the Hadith’s authenticity.
The cleric’s remarks come amid ongoing theological debates about apostasy laws in Islam. Jalingo framed his defense as protecting orthodox teachings, labeling doubters as “fabricators” attempting to undermine Islamic jurisprudence.