Rapists should be treated like armed robbers – Sheikh Gumi

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Dr. Ahmad Gumi, has said anybody convicted for rape should be treated as armed robbers and deserves a capital punishment.

The Islamic scholar disclosed this in Kaduna on Tuesday while speaking with Daily Trust over increase in rape incidences across the country, particularly in Kaduna state.

He explained that there is no specific punishment for rape in Islamic law because in an ideal Islamic society, there is no chance for a girl to be raped.

Gumi said but after the Sixth Century of Islam when Muslims started mingling with other civilisation, rape became a problem.

“So, we have some scholars that gave the  Fatwa that anybody who uses weapon or threat of death to rape a girl, boy or anybody should be given punishment is like that of an armed robber.

“The Fatwa was given by one of the Malikis scholars who said that the verse that talked about armed robbers also deals with rapist because armed robbers want your money just as rapists want your pride” adding that “people’s pride is more than money.”

“This means anybody that act like an armed robber to rape should be killed,” he said. ‎

Sheikh Gumi added that the explosion of information which allows children to access illicit films and pornography thus promoting indecency was responsible to the increase in rape, not only in Kaduna but worldwide.