Can Muslims receive the death penalty for renouncing their faith?

Question

Not meant to be offensive.

I read on Wikipedia that they could. It says: In some countries with a Muslim majority, sexual crimes, including adultery and sodomy, carry the death penalty, as do religious crimes such as apostasy from Islam, the formal renunciation of one's religion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment

That seems a little harsh. Do Muslims not have freedom of choice?

Answer 1

No one is forced to covert,

No Compulsion in Religion

Allah said,

[لاَ إِكْرَاهَ فِى الدِّينِ]

(There is no compulsion in religion), meaning, "Do not force anyone to become Muslim, for Islam is plain and clear, and its proofs and evidence are plain and clear. Therefore, there is no need to force anyone to embrace Islam. Rather, whoever God directs to Islam, opens his heart for it and enlightens his mind, will embrace Islam with certainty. Whoever God blinds his heart and seals his hearing and sight, then he will not benefit from being forced to embrace Islam.''

But if you are in a Muslim country under the Islamic courts (Shariah) it is quite possible that you may receive these punishments. As for here in America you can do whatever you want, we cannot implement Islamic law. But know that our final return is to God and he will judge us of what we used to do.

Peace Be With You

How can you not agree with the Oneness of God, giving charity, fasting, praying, and making a trip to Mecca if you are able to (to go to the Kabah originally built by Abraham)

The 5 Pillars of Islam

Answer 2

About a Moslem death penalty for apostasy from Islam:

I read in an article which I cannot now find, that once a person has accepted Islam (submission to the one, real god), to deny that would be to move backwards historically to one of the partial, incomplete religions of Christianity or Islam, or all the way back to idolatry. I have never heard this principle of historical progress mentioned or invoked in any other way by Moslems, however.

But I don't think that Moslems regard religious commitment as a pure matter of decision or free choice. To become Moslem is to SEE and UNDERDSTAND the truth of Allah and the Quran, like understanding that 2+2+4. To deny a truth that you understand is (in their minds) to lie and pretend -in order to live an immoral (non-moslem)life.

Answer 3

No... Islam does not grant any freedom of choice. Islam in most countries is fairly close to what Christianity was from about 1100-1640. Islam is about 600 or so years younger than Christianity and has not yet gotten past its dark ages. Given time there are some useful and eloquent passages in the Koran, but it's also bound tightly to a culture that hates women, abuses and treats them as chattel, thinks nothing of molesting children or murdering innocents in the name of God. Islam has a long way to go, but there is hope. There's signs of a reformation on its horizon. There are Muslims, however few, who do not believe God's will is to kill everyone that is not of their faith.

Answer 4

Actually nowhere in the Qur'an is said that for apostasy you can be killed through death penalty. This rule seems to be derived by the scholars because in Qur'an apostasy appears to be a very, very serious fault, for wich there is no chance of pardon by god. But the same, no kind of death punishment is specified for it. Probably this islamic rule is based also on a source called "sunna": a social habit of the islamic community that can became a rule after several centurys as Mohammad sayd in one of the Hadiths "My community will never agree on a mistake".

Answer 5

Countries that are a muslim state (their government are not democratic, theyr are muslim) do carry out the death penalty.That is the heart issue of Iraq.It may seem that it is us being there.We can't leave because we want them to be free as they want also,however they suffer from internal problems where a sector wants a muslim state. A democratic Iraq is in the best future interests of America and our allies.That's why we will not get our guns up and leave them to kill themselves.We have to ensure a democratic victory.

Answer 6

I clearly think that conversion to other religions from Islam should not be condemned to death as some countries do because in the Quran it clearly says that there should be no compulsion in religion. Also there is another verse which says there will be grave penalty given by Allah to those who leave, but this is between Allah and the person who converts.

Answer 7

It is possible, but probably unlikely and unenforcable, unless the person is a significant figure and prominent in the world. Few of that stature leave Islam.

The Quran quotes, to me, seem to be more centered on those who are CAPTURED and SUBMIT then leave. Or are occupied and submit then leave. Phonies. Liars. People who say one thing and do another.

Answer 8

they do in some way, but i rgink that was part of the past. i'm not sure.but for some certain things they do get a death penalty

Answer 9

No. Their only choice is to accept Islam and convert ;if not they will literally lose his or her head.

Remember that Muslim who converted to Christianity who lived in Afghanistan-he had to seek asylum in Italy for the fear of life from the Muslim clerics.

Answer 10

Not according to Islam, but in some countries where they do not have religious freedom, the governments do put people to death for apostasy and other things which are not a crime in "the west" but are illegal in those countries.