Ghana Police Arrest Imam Over ‘K!ll Those Who nsult Prophet Muhammad’ Video, Pastor For Anti-Islam Comments
Ghana Police Arrest Imam Over ‘Kill Those Who Insult Prophet Muhammad’ Video, Pastor For Anti-Islam Comments
Abdullah, an Imam, allegedly made the statements while delivering a sermon at a mosque in Ntensere, in the Atwima Nwabiagya North District of Ghana’s Ashanti Region.
The Ghana Police Service has arrested a 35-year-old Imam, Masud Abdullah, over a video in which he advocated violence against people who insult or speak ill of Prophet Muhammad.
The arrest was carried out by the Ghana Police Service in collaboration with the National Signals Bureau (NSB), following investigations into the video in which the suspect was seen making statements that the police said could incite violence against persons perceived to have offended Muslims.
Abdullah, an Imam, allegedly made the statements while delivering a sermon at a mosque in Ntensere, in the Atwima Nwabiagya North District of Ghana’s Ashanti Region.
Imam
The development comes amid growing concerns over the use of religious sermons and social media platforms to make statements capable of provoking violence or encouraging members of the public to attack others.
In a related development, the Ghana Police Service said its Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team arrested another suspect, Daniel Junior Yaw Adjei, also known as Apostle Daniel JY Adjei.
Adjei was captured in a video making derogatory and offensive comments about Prophet Muhammad.
Pastor
The police said investigations into both cases are ongoing and that the two suspects would be taken through the due process of the law.
The Ghana Police Service, in a statement, used the development to caution religious leaders, preachers, community leaders and social media commentators against using freedom of religion or freedom of expression as a justification for statements capable of encouraging violence.
“The Ghana Police Service takes this opportunity to remind the public, particularly religious leaders, preachers, community leaders, social media commentators that freedom of religion and freedom of expression must never be used as justification for inciting violence or encouraging members of the public to harm others,” the police said.
The police further warned that such statements could constitute offences under Ghanaian law and that perpetrators would be arrested and prosecuted.
“Such inciteful utterances constitute infractions and perpetrators will be arrested to face the full rigours of the law,” the statement added.
Before his arrest, Abdullah was seen in the circulating video making a series of statements in which he justified the killing of anyone who insults Prophet Muhammad.
In the video, he said anyone who insulted the Prophet was deliberately trying to provoke Muslims and suggested that killing such a person would not constitute wrongdoing.
“Anyone who insults the Prophet Muhammad… he is trying to provoke us… Therefore, wallahi, if you kill him, you haven’t done anything wrong,” he was heard saying.
He went further to claim that a person who killed someone for insulting the Prophet would be rewarded in paradise.
“Wallahi tallahi, if you kill him, you will even go to Aljanah. I am saying, wallahi tallahi, if you kill him, you will go to Aljanah, and I won’t even waste my breath to discuss it,” he said.
“Whoever kills him… I say, anyone who insults the Prophet Muhammad… Islam says, according to God’s law, anyone at all who insults the Prophet Muhammad, if you get him, kill him—leave him alone,” he said in the video.
