According to Islamic law, the sharia, it is forbidden for a Muslim to change religions. In Saudi Arabia, Iran, the Maldive Islands, Afghanistan and Yemen, people can be subject to the death penalty if it is discovered that they have changed religions.
Friday Factoid: Islamic Law
5 responses
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Christ is to live, to die is to gain?
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Source please?
Admittedly, Wikipedia's not much help — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy_in_Islam
It may be a majority opinion, but there do appear to be dissenters. (Y'know kinda like Baptists vs Lutherans vs Presbyterians, except not so much on the death sentence thing.)
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hey d,
not sure what you're asking. are you asking for the source of islamic law? by saying it's only an opinion, are you saying the law is an opinion or that the death penalty should be the punishment for apostasy?by dissenters, do you mean people who don't agree with those laws (i.e., people in the west)?
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Hi Jen — I'm asking for the source of your factoid.
While Wikipedia confirms that the consensus view is that the appropriate punishment is death, it also references various Muslim clerics and scholars that do not subscribe to that interpretation and in some cases dispute that punishment is required at all.
I should ask an acquaintance from high school to weigh in on this — she's a Muslim.
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hey d,
it's actually from a booklet i have. i'll see if i can find/send the link.
you're right, not all muslims believe that the death penalty should be punishment in the case of apostasy. but from what i understand, those countries listed above do.
Talk to me, Goose.