Tanveer Ahmed
Tanveer Ahmed is a British Islamic fundamentalist who murdered fellow Muslim Asad Shah in 2016 for "disrespecting Islam".
Biography edit
Ahmed lived in Bradford, England, where he worked as an Uber driver. A devout Sunni Muslim, Ahmed was an admirer of Mumtaz Qadri, a Pakistani Muslim fundamentalist who assassinated Punjab Governor Salman Taseer for advocating a more moderate approach to Islam. He was a member of Dawat-e-Islami, a Pakistan-based organization dedicated to defending the honour of the Prophet Muhammad. Dawat-e-Islami have condemned Ahmed since the murder.
In March 2016, Ahmed saw a YouTube video by Scottish Muslim Asad Shah in which Shah claimed to be a prophet. Ahmed immediately vowed to punish Shah for his blasphemy and drove 244 miles to Glasgow, where Shah lived. He arrived on 24 March and stormed into Shah's shop, where he confronted him for making the video. After Shah refused to recant his claims and offered to shake Ahmed's hand, Ahmed pulled his knife and stabbed Shah repeatedly. Shah attempted to flee but was chased outside by Ahmed, who continued to stab him even as Shah's brother Athar unsuccessfully tried to restrain him. Shah soon collapsed from his wounds and Ahmed repeatedly stomped on his head before walking a short distance to a bus shelter, where he remained until the police arrived and arrested him.
After his arrest, Ahmed issued a statement through his lawyer explaining that he had killed Shah for disrespecting the Prophet Muhammad. He pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 27 years. As his sentence was read out he shouted "Muhammad is the prophet, he is the only one!".
References edit
- Man admits murder of Glasgow shopkeeper Asad Shah, The Guardian
- Asad Shah killing: 'Disrespecting Islam' murderer jailed, BBC News
- Why was shopkeeper Asad Shah murdered?, BBC News