When a Muslim leaves the faith – it’s called apostasy. The Qur’an says if you try to leave the faith – you should be put to death. That’s abhorrent and one can definitely acknowledge that’s unacceptable and should not be tolerated by the modern world. Now – the vast majority of Muslims do not take every word in the bible literally just like Christians pick and choose which parts of the Bible they want to adhere to. Shellfish is an abomination in the bible and God actively supports rape and murder of innocents as well in parts of the bible.
The vast majority of Christians would denounce those portions of the bible as being not literal or brushed aside in some way. Now – some Christians would take it very literally … just like some Christians would say that the Earth has existed for only 6,000 years. Yeah – that’s fucking insane … no question but it’s a small % of the total Christian population that believes that nonsense.
The Muslim community is not at all different. The majority of Muslims are peace loving just like Christians and genuinely caring about others in the world. Different views, different cultures but at the end of the day – I mean … we’re all human.
I can’t believe I’m sourcing Jihadwatch … but what they write about here is accurate. You can find their review of the Qur’an HERE:
The death penalty for apostasy is found more directly in the Qur’an — Islamic authorities generally root it in two Qur’anic verses, 2:217 and 4:89, as Hugh has noted. Here is 2:217:
They ask thee concerning fighting in the Prohibited Month. Say: “Fighting therein is a grave (offence); but graver is it in the sight of Allah to prevent access to the path of Allah, to deny Him, to prevent access to the Sacred Mosque, and drive out its members.” Tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter. Nor will they cease fighting you until they turn you back from your faith if they can. And if any of you turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter; they will be companions of the Fire and will abide therein.
What does it mean that the works of those who “turn back from their faith and die in unbelief” will “bear no fruit in this life” as well as in the next? Let’s go for an answer to the Tafsir al-Qurtubi, a classic and thoroughly mainstream exegesis of the Qur’an. About 2:217, Qurtubi says this:
Scholars disagree about whether or not apostates are asked to repent. One group say that they are asked to repent and, if they do not, they are killed. Some say they are given an hour and others a month. Others say that they are asked to repent three times, and that is the view of Malik. Al-Hasan said they are asked a hundred times. It is also said that they are killed without being asked to repent.
Meanwhile, 4:89 says this:
They but wish that ye should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they). But take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah (from what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks.
Hadrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad Khalifatul Masih IV wrote a book to dispute this. He said there are varying ways to read the Qur’an and that many passages within it suggest that apostasy is not punishable by death in this world … that it is left to God only to handle. You can find the book online HERE.
But the Bible also calls for killing anyone who leaves the religion. You can find that verse in the bible HERE.
Deuteronomy 13:6-106 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, 7 gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other),8 do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity.Do not spare them or shield them. 9 You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. 10 Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
