Turabi branded apostate for pro-women comments

Clerics proposed trying Hassan al-Turabi for apostasy following recent declarations by him that women were equal to men, had the right to marry a Christian or a Jew and could even lead prayers, AFP reported:

"Turabi should declare repentance or face the Sharia Hadd for heresy," said the statement by the Muslim Scholars Committee, which has the support of the government and controls many of the country's mosques.

Hadd is a word in Islamic law that applies to punishments inflicted for some of the most serious offenses. The traditional punishment for heresy or apostasy in Sharia law is the death penalty.