A video of an imam lecturing an audience on how to stone a woman to death emerged on social media on Tuesday. The video is from Birmingham’s Green Lane Masjid that recently received £2.2 million (Rs 23.24 crore) from the British government to support young people across Birmingham.
In the video, Imam Shaykh Zakaullah Saleem can be heard telling the audience that the woman should be buried waist-deep in the ground before stoning.
“According to the Sharia (Islamic law), when it comes to women, there must a hole dug in the earth, in the ground; and she must be covered up to half of the body,” the imam said.
Watch the video below
The video made rounds on X (formerly Twitter). Some users expressed doubts whether Zakaullah actually advocated the practice. However, another video of the same sermon shows the imam explaining to the audience that stoning to death is the punishment for ‘zina’ – and Islamic legal term for illicit sexual relations.
“The person who commits zina, according to the Islamic or the Sharia, whenever the Sharia is established, the punishment (for) the adulterer – man or woman – the punishment for them is, if they are married, then they will be stoned to death. If they are unmarried, they will be beaten with 100 lashes in front of a big Muslim gathering,” Zakaullah said.
Who is Imam Shaykh Zakaullah Saleem?
Zakaullah is the head imam and head of education at the Green Lane Masjid. He worked in several roles before joining the mosque as imam.
According to his profile on the mosque’s website, Zakaullah completed his Masters in Islamic Education from the Markfield Institute of Higher Education in Leicestershire. The institute is considered to be the UK’s leading centres for Islamic studies. He memorised the Quran at a young age, according to the website.
