Dear
IOL readers, we invite you to send your comments and feedback on the
controversial issue of apostasy. Each comment will be considered
separately for publication, and only slight editing changes, when
necessary, will be performed. Your comments are appreciated at living.shariah@iolteam.com.
Reader:
Why
must you threaten your people with death if they deny Islam for
Christianity? If Muslims had their way, all Christians would either
convert to Islam or be slain. It appears to be a forced
participation in a religion. Do your clerics feel it necessary to
have a captive audience?
How
can a person embrace a religion that they do not want to be
in? Your aim is to clear the world of non-Muslims. |
|
How
can a person embrace a religion that they do not want to be in? Your
aim is to clear the world of non-Muslims. More and more Americans as
well as other nations are beginning to realize this. The attitude of
your religion will eventually result in a war similar to the
Crusades. Muslims against non-Muslims. And Allah will not be able to
help you in such a battle, for surely He knows you are wrong.
Dear
IOL reader,
First
and foremost, we would like to stress that there is a big difference
between Islam as a religion and the behavior of some Muslims who
hardly represent Islam. Islam, in itself, is a matchless way of life
that needs a well-qualified presenter in such a tumultuous world.
This is one of the main chronic problems that Muslims face in
today's world.
The
history of Islam has never witnessed any single case of forced
conversion. Freedom is for all to choose as long as they don't
wage war against Islam. |
|
In
Islam, the freedom of belief is guaranteed to all, and the basic
Qur'anic teachings and the Prophetic traditions call for tolerance
and accepting all religious diversity. The history of Islam has
never witnessed any single case of forced conversion. Freedom is for
all to choose as long as they don't wage war against Islam or else
use their blasphemous thoughts as a weapon to perplex others and
spoil their thinking and sound nature.
Of
course, there are numbers of Muslims who present a bad image of
their religion, but on the other hand there are many Muslims who are
positive ambassadors of Islam. It is worth mentioning here that
Islam was spread in almost all parts of South Asia, not through the
"forced conversions" as some may claim, but through the
good behavior of Muslim merchants and mystics who visited the
area.
Islam
welcomes diversity as long as each party respects the belief of the
other and work for the betterment of the common good of the human
family. True Muslims call for peace, tolerance, diversity, true
integration, and above all peaceful coexistence in multicultural
societies.
Last,
but not least, if we really want to know more about the real
teachings of Islam, we should not limit ourselves to the surface. We
have to delve much deeper to find the jewels underneath.
For
more elaboration regarding the issue you have raised, kindly read
this reply given to another questioner on the same subject, Should
an Apostate Be Put to Death?
Peace
be with you.
Why
do you Muslims restrict freedom of religion? |
|
Reader:
You
Muslims kill apostates if they decide to leave Islam for any other
faith. Isn't this oppression and coercion? Then, why do you welcome
new converts to Islam and deny apostates' choice to leave your
religion? Why do you Muslims restrict freedom of religion?
Dear
IOL reader,
Thanks
for your comments and intelligent inquires.
To
start with, we must make it clear that it is absurd for anyone to
suggest that Islam allows putting people to death just because they
convert to another religion. To kill anyone who chooses to follow a
religion other than Islam is against the fundamental teachings of
Islam.
The
Islamic concept of freedom is unique and distinct. |
|
Moreover,
the Islamic concept of freedom is unique and distinct. Freedom, as
far as Islam is concerned, is a right and duty at the same time. It
is the right that every individual enjoys as long as he or she does
not harm society. Unlike Muslims, other people are confused in
determining the specific meaning of freedom; some of them give
priority to the individuals’ interest over that of the society
while others adopt the opposite attitude. Islam, however, strikes a
balance between individuals' right to freedom and the society's
interests and security.
Freedom
of religion is one of the fundamental rights of humans
enshrined in the Qur'an. |
|
Freedom
of religion is one of the fundamental rights of humans enshrined in
the Qur'an. Even a casual reader of the Qur'an will be impressed by
its emphasis on the freedom of conscience as a cornerstone of its
moral structure. To cite a few verses as follows:
[There
shall be no compulsion in religion. Distinct has now become the
right way from [the wayof] error: hence, he who rejects the
powers of evil and believes in God has indeed taken hold of a
support most unfailing, which shall never give way: for God is
all-hearing, all-knowing.] (Al-Baqarah 2:256)
[And
if they surrender themselves unto Him (i.e. God), they are on the
right path; but if they turn away – behold, thy duty (O
Muhammad,) is no more than to deliver the message: for God sees
all that is in [the hearts of] His creatures.] (Aal `Imran
3:20)
In
full conformity with the teachings of the Qur'an, neither the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) nor any of the four
Rightly Guided Caliphs who succeeded him were in the habit of
hunting down and executing people who changed their religion.
Rather, they refrained from doing so except in rare cases
involving treason.
The
punishment for treason in the Qur'an is as strict as it is in
the Hebrew Bible. |
|
Treason,
however, is another matter. The punishment for treason in the Qur'an
is as strict as it is in the Hebrew Bible. But it must never be
confused with a mere religious conversion. It is known that all
states have an absolute right to punish anyone who is proven, beyond
any shadow of doubt, to be disloyal and guilty of treason.
Given
the above, it becomes crystal clear that the issue of the penalty
prescribed for apostasy is dependent on the public interest of the
nation. Therefore, there is no harm in ignoring the apostasy of an
individual as long as he or she does not harm the nation. On the
other hand, if a group of apostates endangers the security and
interests of the community, then the ruler of a Muslim state should
consider them to be a danger and threat to society. Islam doesn't
force anybody to convert to Islam or to remain Muslim. Freedom of
religion is guaranteed as long as the community's interests are
secure.
