Difficult Da‘wah Questions

No Religious Freedom : Those Who Leave Islam Should Be Executed

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Objection to Islam is often raised against the death penalty prescribed for apostasy (abandonment of religion). Since religion in Western civilization came to be looked at as a personal choice which cannot be enforced by either Church or state, to execute a person for leaving his religion would naturally seem extreme.

It should be kept in mind that when capital punishment for murder was abolished in the UK in 1965 it was retained for treason and piracy with violence.

And it was also the legal punishment for setting fire to Her Majesty’s ships and dockyards until 1971.  The 1971 Criminal Damage Act replaced capital punishment with life imprisonment for these offences. [1] Punishment in Islamic Law, p. 87

It should be kept in mind that when capital punishment for murder was abolished in the UK in 1965 it was retained for treason and piracy with violence. Most countries have executed its citizens for treason. Treason is an act of rebellion against the state. State secrets are given to other countries which may not be at war with the state.

Islam is not merely a religion but a complete system of life. Its rules not only govern individual conduct but also shape the basic laws and public order in the Muslim state. Apostasy encourages the rejection of law and order of society. It is an act of treason against the state which would encourage rebellion among the weaker citizens.

One who personally abandons the faith and leaves the country would not be hunted down and assassinated. Nor would one who apostates privately and remains in the Muslim state conforming to the outward rules of the state be tracked down and executed. The practice of setting up inquisition courts to examine people’s faith is not a part of Islamic legal tradition.

There is no compulsion in joining Islam. Anyone may join the religion, but it should not be taken lightly. Only those who are serious should join.

  • The death penalty discourages those who might think to join the religion in order to undermine it from within. The apostasy law was first instituted to stop the undermining of the state. Jews in Madinah were converting to Islam and apostating shortly thereafter in order to destroy the confidence of newly converted Muslims
  • The death penalty is mainly for apostates who cooperate with enemies at war with the Muslim state or those who gather people against Islam and fight against the state.

Western Civilization executes its citizens for giving away state secrets; something material. Islamic law prescribes the death penalty for something far more serious. Rebellion against God is a far greater crime than rebellion against state secrets.

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No Religious Freedom : Those Who Leave Islam Should Be Executed

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