President of the Supreme Council For Islamic Preachers in the Southwest, Sheikh Taofeeq Akeugbagold, has stated that he is not in support of killing those who blaspheme against the Quran.
In a report by the Nigerian Tribune on April 6, the Islamic cleric made his stance known in an interview where he talked about the challenges of Islamic preachings, how the government can fight terrorism and why he preaches peaceful co-existence among all religions.
He stated that as a Muslim, he is deeply troubled by the notion that killing is part of Islam. He argued that he has studied Islam extensively and knows that it does not condone violence. He further emphasized that there is no justification in the Quran for killing someone who insults the holy book, however, one can take legal action.
He said, “As a reasonable Muslim, there is no way one will not feel bad when you hear this. Islam is something I know very well. I read a lot about Islam, and I trained a lot in Islam. How can someone come and tell me killing is part of Islam? Beheading someone who abused the Quran is also not part of Islam.
“Where in the holy Quran has Almighty Allah told anyone to kill for insulting the Quran? What we can do is take the person to court, or if there are any other means of making the person realize his mistake without killing him, that would have been the best. Even when the holy prophet was alive, some people called him a madman, but he never killed them because of that.”
