New Delhi: On what was to be the darkest day for a nurse from Kerala, an surprising ray of hope got here from 1000’s of miles away. Nimisha Priya, who had been sentenced to demise in Yemen for the homicide of loca enterprise associate, had her execution halted simply hours earlier than it was to happen. On the centre of this dramatic flip was a quiet however highly effective intervention by India’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar.
A local of Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, Nimisha left for Yemen in 2011. She labored as a nurse within the capital, Sanaa. Like many others from India’s nursing diaspora, she hoped for a greater life for her household. However her journey quickly spiralled into one thing much more tragic.
In 2014, her husband and daughter returned to India because of the worsening civil struggle and monetary struggles. She stayed behind, hoping to proceed sending a reimbursement dwelling. She partnered with a Yemeni nationwide, Talal Abdo Mahdi, to open a clinic required by native legislation for overseas medical professionals.
However that partnership quickly grew to become a jail. Mahdi allegedly solid paperwork to falsely declare he was married to her. He then seized her passport and reportedly subjected her to violence and drugging. In desperation, Nimisha tried to retrieve her paperwork by sedating Mahdi in 2017. However the dosage turned deadly. In panic, she and a feminine colleague dismembered his physique and hid the stays in a water tank.
She was arrested quickly after. In 2020, a Yemeni court docket sentenced her to demise. The nation’s Supreme Judicial Council upheld the decision in November 2023. And the execution was scheduled for July 16, 2025.
Enter the Grand Mufti
As Nimisha’s household scrambled for authorized assist, diplomatic intervention hit a wall. India has no official diplomatic ties with the Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, the place she is imprisoned. The Indian authorities admitted as a lot to the Supreme Court docket, stating that there was “nothing a lot” it may do.
However removed from the authorized corridors, an elder statesman of Islamic jurisprudence quietly stepped in. Sheikh Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, also called the Grand Mufti of India, started reaching out to Yemen.
Religion and Compassion Over Borders
Sheikh Kanthapuram contacted Islamic students in Yemen immediately. He pleaded for humanity. He urged them to discover a path rooted in Islamic ideas – ‘Diya’ (blood cash) as an alternative of capital punishment.
“In Islam, as an alternative of killing, there’s additionally a apply of giving Diya (compensation). I requested them to simply accept Diyaat because the get together is prepared right here for it. There are talks happening about whether or not my request needs to be accepted,” the Grand Mufti advised ANI.
He didn’t know the sufferer’s household personally. Nonetheless, he prolonged himself throughout oceans.
“Islam has one other legislation. If the assassin is sentenced to demise, the household of the sufferer has the proper to pardon. I have no idea who this household is, however from a protracted distance, I contacted the accountable students in Yemen. I made them perceive the problems. Islam is a faith that locations a variety of significance on humanity,” he advised reporters.
Students Reply, Execution Deferred
The students whom Sheikh Kanthapuram reached out to responded with urgency. They met. They deliberated. They usually acted.
“After I requested that they intervene and take motion, the students met, mentioned and said that they might do what they might. They’ve formally knowledgeable us and despatched a doc stating that the date of execution has been postponed, which is able to assist facilitate the continued discussions,” he stated.
He didn’t cease there. “I’ve additionally knowledgeable the Central authorities in regards to the discussions and the method. I’ve additionally despatched a letter to the Prime Minister’s Workplace,” he added.
The doc, in Arabic, was shared by him on Instagram. It said that the demise sentence scheduled for July 16 had been postponed “till additional notification” following a directive from the Legal professional Basic of Yemen.
What Lies Forward
The halt in execution just isn’t an finish. It’s a second of respiratory room. Nimisha’s household is now hoping to achieve a settlement by means of the idea of Diya, recognised beneath Yemen’s Sharia legislation. Studies counsel the household is ready to supply Rs 8.6 crore as blood cash to the sufferer’s kinfolk.
Officers in India have been in contact with the prosecutor’s workplace and jail authorities in Yemen all through the ordeal. However it was the voice of a non secular chief that broke by means of the diplomatic deadlock.
Who Is Sheikh Kanthapuram?
Sheikh Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar is a towering determine in South Indian Islamic scholarship. Born in Kerala, he’s the president of the All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama. His ethical authority extends properly past the subcontinent. He’s identified for balancing theological purity with a deep empathy for real-world human struggling.
His function within the Nimisha’s case is an instance. He wielded no political energy. He made no loud calls for. But his attraction, grounded in religion and compassion, created a pause in what had appeared inevitable.
A Life Saved For Now
For Nimisha’s mom and daughter in Kerala, this second is nothing in need of a miracle. They know that the combat just isn’t over. However for now, the gallows have been pushed again.
And it was a scholar from their very own state who gave them that probability.