Blasphemous Video Sparks Protest of Thousands in Mali

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On November 4, thousands of Muslims protested in Mali’s capital, Bamako, against a “blasphemous” video on social media.

 

 

The video allegedly shows a man insulting the Prophet, the Quran, and Muslims. Although the government has condemned the video, Mali’s 95% Muslim population is unsatisfied.

According to the police, the High Islamic Council of Mali (HCM) organized the protest, which organizers claim amounted to more than one million people. The HCM is calling for the death of the man, as yet unidentified, who appears in the video. 

According to the prosecutor’s office, six men have been detained for sharing the video. They are being held for information regarding the whereabouts of the person responsible. All six have refused to cooperate and are accused of complicity as of this writing.

The protesters held signs reading, “No to blasphemous comments” and “No more attacks on Islam and the Prophet Mohammad.”

 

 

One of the demonstrators, Marima Sogodo, said, “We ask God that those who have done these acts may be punished in an exemplary way before the whole world. We ask our authorities to take their responsibilities. It is true that Mali is a secular country, but we are more numerous than all the other religions.”

Imam Abdoulaye Fadiga, speaking with France’s international news agency AFP, said, "What happened is unforgivable. The author of the blasphemous comments must be arrested and tried.”

According to reports, Malian author Doumbi Fakoly is one of the six detained. Fakoly had taken a stance against Abrahamic religions in the past, claiming they have negative consequences for black Africans and their descendants.

The prosecutor of Bamako’s Commune 4 court has linked Fakoly and the other detainees to the Kamite movement, a revival of ancient Egyptian religion.

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