Death Penalty May Be Applied for Betraying Islam

Caroline Ellison

August 31, 2006

Soc 202


Current Event Topic: Religion and Ethnicity

Death Penalty May Be Applied For Betraying Islam


This article discusses the consequences of apostasy in the Islam religion. Apostasy is defined as the act of rejecting or abandoning one’s religious beliefs. It is a concept that is present in multiple religions. It is Islam’s treatment of apostasy that has become a hot topic in the Western countries.

Apostasy is still punishable by death in most countries. Since Islam and the state are closely related, leaving the Islamic faith can still be thought of by some as an act of political betrayal. Charges of apostasy are also often used against political enemies and intellectuals who make controversial claims about Islam or challenges conventional social standards.

There are currently certain countries that have laws that sanction the death penalty as a punishment for apostasy. Some of these countries include Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. In countries where the death penalty is not legally enforceable, there may be other punishments for apostasy such as imprisonment and corporal punishment. The Koran does not call for death in the case of apostasy. However in the Hadith, which is written traditions by the Prophet Muhammed, contains several passages supporting the use of the death penalty in cases of apostasy.

The issue of apostasy is very important to all of us because to some that are not part of the Islam religion we may see it as immoral to kill a person who converts to a different religion. In the United States apostasy occurs in most peoples lives. A person may be raised Baptist but then decide later in life that their beliefs are closer to the Catholic faith. Since in the United States we have freedom of religion it sounds unheard of to kill someone for turning against a religion. Apostasy is very important to know about because it could be the cause of hundreds of thousands of deaths every year.





Brea, Jennifer. "Death Penalty May Be Applied for Betraying Islam." World News. 30 Aug. 2006. NY Times Co. 31 Aug. 2006 .