Shariat Court issues death decree on cartoonist

LUCKNOW: Close on the heels of a Uttar Pradesh Minister announcing a cash reward of Rs 51 crore to the person beheading the Danish cartoonist, who caricatured Prophet Mohammad, a Shariat Court has issued a religious decree sentencing him to death.

The decree was issued on behalf of the Idar-e-Sharia Darul Kaza and Ifta Firangimahal Taksal (Islamic courts) by their Qazi on Sunday.

The Qazi said it has been clearly stated in the Quran that whosoever hurt the Prophet, deserved to be sternly punished.

Asked whether the fatwa has any significance in India, where the Islamic laws does not apply, he said "it is applicable wherever Muslims live".

He claimed that he was authorised to issue fatwa in his capacity as the Qazi of the city and he had been doing so for the past many years.

The Muslim clerics and leaders on the other hand said that though the fatwa was legitimate according to the Islamic law, it had little significance in India.

All India United Muslim Morcha Vice President M A Siddique said Islamic courts were authorised to issue fatwa but it did not apply to the country where Islamic law was not in force.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board's spokesman S Q R Iliyasi said fatwa had no significance in India.

UP Minister for Haj Mohammad Yaqoob Qureshi had last week announced the cash reward for whoever beheaded the cartoonist.