Pamela Geller should face death if it's determined she deliberately trashed the prophet Muhammad with her contest in which entrants drew cartoons of the founder of Islam, says Anjem Choudary, a lecturer in Sharia law.
"If it is true Pam Geller … organized a cartoon competition to depict the prophet in a way to insult him, then obviously there would be a guarantee or something which does carry an Islamic capital punishment," Choudary said Friday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on
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"[It] needs to be assessed by a qualified judge in a court. If found guilty, obviously there's punishment. As … in America, you have the death penalty for certain crimes.
"You may not consider insulting the prophet something worthy of capital punishment, but in Islam, that does carry something, which is very severe."
Geller was one of the organizers of the contest Sunday in Garland, Texas, which erupted in violence when two Islamic State (ISIS)-influenced gunmen opened fire, only to be shot dead by police officers.
She has been criticized by some for intentionally provoking Muslims, while others have defended her right to free speech. Images of Muhammad are considered blasphemous and have sparked violence in other countries, most notably France where gunmen slaughtered the staff of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Choudary, an Islamic activist who is based in London and was once arrested for allegedly "encouraging" terrorism, is well known for making incendiary statements. During his last interview on the Malzberg show, he pointedly asked the host whether he was Jewish.
Asked by Malzberg whether a Muslim should face death by Christians were he to portray Jesus in a mocking fashion, Choudary said: "We would defend all of the prophets, whether Jesus or Moses."
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