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Who is ‘Grand Mufti of India' behind halting Indian nurse Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen: Know Aboobacker Musliyar
Official name Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, Aboobacker Musliyar is based in Kerala, Nimisha Priya's home state, and is a top figure of Sunni Islam in India.
A 94-year-old Muslim cleric with a community title of ‘Grand Mufti of India’, Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, has emerged as a key figure behind the halting of the execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen's Houthi rebels-held city of Sana'a.
Musliyar, whose official name is Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, is based in Kerala, which is also the home state of 37-year-old Nimisha Priya. He is a top figure among the Sunni sect of Islam in India and the South Asian region.
Also read: Nimisha Priya case: Victim's family in Yemen demands ‘God's Law in Qisas’. What does it mean?
Though the title is not official in the sense of government's approval, he is widely known as the ‘Grand Mufti of India’, in fact the 10th to hold the title. Islam and India have other grand muftis too, with prominent mosques being their headquarters. ‘Mufti’, the term, essentially means an Islamic law expert.
Also read | How Nimisha Priya's execution was halted in Yemen: Explained
Kozhikode native, chair of ‘knowledge city’
Born in Kozhikode, Musliyar is also active in scholars' councils at the state and national levels. He makes frequent foreign visits for sermons and talks, including the Gulf and Southeast Asia.
He is also the chairman of the Markaz Knowledge City project, a private integrated township in Kozhikode. The project has medical and law colleges, apart from a cultural centre.
The mufti has, in the past, been in the news for some of his statements, such as when he advised women against taking part in street protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019-20. He registered his protest against the CAA, though.
Also Read | Why ‘Grand Mufti of India’ stepped in to halt Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen
For Nimisha Priya, he held talks with religious authorities in Yemen, who are in contact with the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi, the Yemeni national Priya allegedly killed in 2017.
Being a mufti, a Sharia law scholar, he has cited the concept of clemency in return for monetary compensation to the victim's family — blood money, as it is commonly termed — as a way out for Nimisha Priya.
"Islam has another law. If the murderer is sentenced to death, the family of the victim has the right to pardon. I don’t know who this family is, but from a long distance, I contacted the responsible scholars in Yemen,” he told news agency ANI.
“I made them understand the issues. Islam is a religion that places a lot of importance on humanity,” he added.
The Indian government and a citizens' group have also been making efforts for stopping Priya's execution, while her mother is in Yemen to speak with the murder victim's family. Negotiations have resumed about the amount to be paid, reports have said.
The matter was complicated as India does not have formal diplomatic ties with the Houthis, the rebel group that controls large parts of Yemen, including capital Sana'a. The government had told the Supreme Court as much.
The mufti, on Tuesday, said about his role in the halting of the sentence: “After I requested that they intervene and take action, the scholars (in Yemen) met, discussed, and stated that they would do what they could. They have officially informed us and sent a document stating that the date of execution has been postponed, which will help facilitate the ongoing discussions."
He said he informed the Indian central government about it. "I have also sent a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office,” he added.
Nimisha Priya was arrested in July 2017 for murdering the Yemeni man who was her business partner. She was sentenced to death by a Yemeni court in 2020 and the Supreme Judicial Council of the Houthi administration upheld the death sentence in 2023.
