Mauritania Student Accused Of Blasphemy Faces Death Penalty

Authorities in Mauritius have accused a high school girl of blasphemy because of a fake exam she turned in.

The young lady was detained last week on suspicion of disrespecting Islam’s founder, Prophet Muhammad.

She might receive a death sentence if proven guilty, with no chance of appeal.

The provision that allowed criminals to avoid death if they expressed regret has been removed as Mauritania’s blasphemy laws have been reinforced in recent years.

However, it has been more than 30 years since there have been any blasphemy executions in the nation.

The student was detained on July 18 in the town of Atar in the country’s northwest on suspicion of “disrespect and mockery of the Prophet” and “using social media to undermine (the) holy values of Islam,” according to a representative of the public prosecutor’s office in the capital, Nouakchott.

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She was accused of writing something, but specifics were kept private.

Later, the student’s family issued a statement to the Arabic-language daily Al-Quds al-Arabi in which they begged for forgiveness and claimed she had mental health problems.

According to al-Quds al-Araby, a different news source, the accused is a member of the Haratin ethnic group, which is descended from sub-Saharan slaves.

The country’s religious authorities ruled that those found guilty of insulting the Prophet Muhammad should receive the death penalty, which led to the official announcement of the arrest.

After President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani instructed clerics to make clear their position on blasphemy, the Mauritanian Council of Islamic Scholars published the fatwa last week.

In addition to the death penalty, persons found guilty of lesser blasphemy offenses may also be sentenced to a fine and up to two years in jail.