From PM News Nigeria:
Kannywood embattled actress, Rahama Sadau will be appearing in a sharia court in Kaduna over allegations of blasphemy levelled against her after sharing racy photos on social media.Rahama Sadau is allegedly under police investigation after the racy photos she shared triggered blasphemous comments.It was gathered that the investigation is linked to the blasphemous comment on the Holy Prophet Mohammed the racy photos incited.According to a press release signed by Lawal Muhammad Gusau on behalf of the Concerned and Peace-Loving Muslim Ummah, listed some conditions that must be met before she defends herself.It was also noted that the case against her “is a matter relating to the Hadiths of the Prophet and the Glorious Holy Qur’an and not a matter relating to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
It would be bad enough if the photos themselves got Sadau to be summoned to a sharia court, but in this case she is being charged with blasphemy for the comment by someone else on her photos!
When Rahama Sadau posted the photo on November 1, Islamic conservatives in Nigeria criticized her, and others defended her. Apparently someone complained to the sharia court and the best excuse they could find to bring her before the court was to accuse her of blasphemy.
As soon as the controversy bubbled up, Sadau removed the photo and condemned any blasphemy. But that is apparently not enough - for a woman.
The man who made the blasphemous comments is not even mentioned in news articles, nor is there any indication that he is being arrested or summoned to court.
Even more outrageous, the person who brought the complaint against Sadau said that she should be arrested because her photo might cause riots - mentioning another case of a singer earlier this year whose house was burned down after he posted a video on WhatsApp that was supposedly blasphemous. The criminals aren't charged.
In 2016, Sadau was accused of indecency after a music video of her doing little more than holding hands with a man was released. She was blacklisted from the Nigerian movie industry for two years after that.
The charge of blasphemy in Nigeria is treated with kid gloves by Amnesty and Human Rights Watch. If a political figure is charged with blasphemy, then they cover the story as political repression. The charge of blasphemy itself - a gross violation of the human right of free speech - is not criticized by these supposed human rights groups at all. Not a word was written by HRW or Amnesty about the singer mentioned above or a 13-year old boy sentenced to ten years in prison for blasphemy in Nigeria in October.
Here is a case of clear sexism, injustice and violation of freedom of speech that the major human rights organizations will not talk about because they do not want to be labeled "Islamophobic."
(h/t Yasmine Mohammed)