Following on from an earlier article today that dealt with the appalling injuries suffered by a young woman who was burned when she tried to bring a sexual assault charge against the principal of an Islamic madrassa in Bangladesh, it is apparent that pervy Islamic clerics and leaders are not exactly uncommon. Like buses, you wait all day for a pervy Islamic cleric story and then two come along at once.

This second story of predatory Islamic clerics comes from half a world away from Bangladesh in Nigeria. According to a report in the Nigerian publication Royal News and relayed on the Religion of Peace site, police are searching for an acclaimed and well known Islamic cleric who is wanted for raping a 15 year old disabled girl in a mosque in Ilasa in South West Nigeria.

Royal News said:

The Lagos State Command has declared a 27-year-old acclaimed Islamic cleric, who allegedly raped a 15-year-old girl with disability inside a mosque at Ilasa.

Police spokesman, Bala Elkana, stated this while addressing journalists at the weekend.

It was gathered that the mosque’s Imam and some other clerics were arrested after the suspect allegedly fled when the incident became known.

Whilst recognising that rape and sexual abuse offenders can come from all races and faiths, there does seem to be a preponderance of offenders who are Islamic. In mosques and madrassas across the world girls and sometimes boys are subjected to some awful and damaging abuse both sexual and physical. I would put this sort of behaviour down in part at least to the sort of theology that guides Islamic culture a theology that treats women as second or even third class citizens and which approves of violence and oppression.

The alleged offender in this case is not some ignoramus but a high profile and well respected cleric who probably had a significant amount of influence over those whom he led. It would not surprise me in the least to find out that this may not be the only abuse associated with this particular mosque and nor would I be shocked to discover that abusive Islamic clerics are a widespread problem for Nigeria.