The planned execution of Nimisha Priya, a 37-year-old Hindu nurse from Kerala sentenced to death in Yemen, has been postponed following a crucial intervention by Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, a prominent Muslim cleric known as the Grand Mufti of India. The move is being seen as a rare moment of interfaith solidarity, where a Muslim religious leader stepped in to save a Hindu woman’s life abroad.
Nimisha, convicted of murdering a Yemeni man in Sana’a, under Houthi rebel control, has maintained through her legal team that the act was not premeditated but committed in a state of distress following alleged prolonged abuse. With diplomatic channels appearing exhausted, Sheikh Abu Bakr responded to a request from Congress MLA Chandy Oommen and reached out to respected Yemeni Sufi scholar Sheikh Umar bin Hafiz to appeal to the victim’s family.
The intervention reportedly led to a pause in the execution, offering a critical window for further negotiations and a possible blood money settlement under Yemeni law.
Sheikh Abubakr, born in Kozhikode, Kerala, heads several Islamic institutions and was declared Grand Mufti of India by the All India Tanzeem Ulama-e-Islam in 2019. While the title holds no formal recognition from the Indian state, he is seen as one of the most influential Sunni scholars in south Asia.
His act has drawn praise across communities, particularly for stepping beyond religious lines in a deeply polarized time. Many have called it a reminder of shared humanity and the possibility of compassion bridging faith divides.
Sheikh Abubakr has previously taken stances, opposing the CAA and supporting the Supreme Court’s Babri Masjid verdict.
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
