Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, also known as Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, leads India’s Sunni Muslim community. At 94, he still works actively in religious and humanitarian spaces. India does not officially recognize a Grand Mufti. But in 2019, Islamic scholars honored him with the title at the Gareeb Nawaz Peace Conference in New Delhi. He serves as the General Secretary of the All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama. His voice carries weight across South Asia.
Abubakr took a moderate stand during the Citizenship Amendment Act protests. He opposed the CAA but urged Muslims to stay peaceful after the Babri Masjid verdict.
In 2017, Yemeni authorities arrested Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala. She had killed her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi. The court sentenced her to death. Her execution was scheduled for July 16, 2025. With days left, Sheikh Abubakr acted fast. Congress MLA Chandy Oommen reached out to him for help. Abubakr used his Arab world contacts. He spoke directly with Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz, a respected Yemeni Sufi scholar.
His goal was clear: convince the victim’s family to accept blood money, which Shariah law allows in place of execution. “Islam values humanity above all,” Sheikh Abubakr told ANI. His appeal worked. Yemeni authorities postponed the execution and agreed to continue talks.
Abubakr’s team quickly set up an office in Kerala. The office now coordinates with Yemen and plans to raise the blood money. India’s government admitted it had limited power in the case. But Abubakr’s religious diplomacy opened a new path.
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In the final hours, no politician or global leader could delay the sentence. But one cleric did. Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad’s compassion spoke louder than any government. His intervention gave Nimisha Priya something rare in such cases a second chance!
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