Pakistani Imam Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison over Fatwa Against Populist Leader Geert Wilders
SUMMARY
A Dutch court sentenced Pakistani Imam Muhammad Ashraf Asif Jalali to 14 years in prison for issuing a fatwa calling for the murder of Dutch populist leader Geert Wilders. Jalali's fatwa, delivered in English to reach an international audience, was in response to Wilders’ promotion of a Mohammed caricature contest and was ruled to have been made with terrorist intent. Saad Hussain Rizvi, leader of the Islamist Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) group, received a four-year sentence for making death threats against Wilders. However, neither Jalali nor Rizvi are expected to serve time, as they reside in Pakistan, which lacks an extradition treaty with the Netherlands. Wilders, under constant security due to Islamist threats for nearly 20 years, welcomed the ruling as a significant signal that fatwas against parliamentarians will not go unpunished.
