The Qur’an offers a message of religious tolerance. One oft-cited verse asserts that there is “no compulsion in religion”:
Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.
~Qur’an, Sura 2.256
Apparently this Muslim take on religious tolerance does not extend to daughters who convert to Christianity:
ISTANBUL, July 23 (Compass Direct News) – Egyptian police in Alexandria who last week arrested a Christian convert woman today handed her over to her fanatical Islamist family, who beat her before driving her away. Eyewitnesses said family members of Shaymaa (Eman) Muhammad al-Sayed, 26, dragged her screaming from the Bab-Sharky police station where she had been closeted. After severely beating her in the Shatby Cemetery behind the police station at 4 p.m., she was then forced into a family microbus and driven away. One week ago, on July 16, these same family members openly threatened to kill Al-Sayed for leaving Islam to become a Christian, after spotting her walking through a fair in Alexandria. Local police promptly took her into “protective custody,” but instead of protection local police and State Security Investigation (SSI) officials have subjected her to days of severe physical and emotional torture. Her maltreatment included electrical shocks, beatings and being photographed naked. Her repeated requests to press charges against her family for attempting to kidnap and kill her were ignored.
If in Islam there is “no compulsion to religion,” why would a Muslim family treat their daughter in this way?
Please indulge my views on the answer to this question.
A Muslim believer who turns away from Islam is an apostate. This is not a term unique to Islam. Rather, this term spans religions. It means “abandonment of one’s religious faith.”
Apostasy has all but disappeared in the West. You’ve got your “lapsed Catholic” and your “Christmas/Easter Christian,” but there is no palpable, social stigma attached either of these states anymore. In fact, now-a-days it is arguably fashionable to live a secular life style.
In Arabic, the word for apostate is Murtadd. A Murtadd is further classified on the basis of what replaces his or her Islamic beliefs. A person who converts from Islam to non-belief is known as Kufr. On the other hand, a person who converts from Islam to another religion is Irtidad.
Further, a child of a Muslim family who is Murtadd is either Murtadd Fitri or Murtadd Milli. Fitri means “natural” or “innate” while Milli means “religious community.” The connotations of these states are not clear to me, but I get a general idea from the pairings. Based on what I’ve read, Murtadd Fitri appears to be more offensive because it is dealt with by immediate death.
I don’t know about you, but I find childhood capital punishment anathema.
There are plenty of passages in the Qur’an that address the penalty for apostasy. Not all of them clearly prescribe death. For example, some intimate the penalty for unbelief is meted out after death:
Any one who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters Unbelief – except under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in Faith – but such as open their breast to Unbelief, on them is Wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a dreadful Penalty.
~Qur’an, Sura 16.106
The tense in the last phrase, “and theirs will be a dreadful Penalty” suggests a future event, presumably in the afterlife. Similarly,
But those who reject Faith after they accepted it, and then go on adding to their defiance of Faith – never will their repentance be accepted; for they are those who have (of set purpose) gone astray. As to those who reject Faith, and die rejecting – never would be accepted from any such as much gold as the earth contains, though they should offer it for ransom. For such is (in store) a penalty grievous, and they will find no helpers. [Emphasis mine]
~Qur’an, Sura 3:90-91
Again, verse 91 suggests that a grievous penalty awaits the apostate at some future time.
One verse commonly used to justify death as the penalty for apostasy reads thus:
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. [Emphasis mine]
~Qur’an Sura 2:217
In this verse, apparently the act of turning away from Islam and dieing are construed as one action.
There are verses that call for death as the punishment for apostasy (see, Qur’an 4.89 and 9.11,12). Suffice it to say that, like the Bible (Deuteronomy 13:6-13:10), some verses in the Qur’an and the Hadith explicitly mention death as the punishment for apostasy. I think it is fair to say that mainstream Christian religions no longer observe this mandate. In fact, I know of no Christian sect that still does, though having written this, surely someone will educate me about one…
Interestingly, to the Shafi’i, one of the four schools of religious law within Sunni Islam, not only is conversion from Islam to non-belief or another religion apostasy, so is converting from non-belief or a non-Muslim religion to another non-Muslim religion. This means that if you were born into an agnostic family and choose to become, for example, a Mormon, a Buddhist, or a Taoist, you are an apostate, and you are subject to the penalty of death…
Given the Islamic doctrine regarding apostasy detailed above…
Should Shaymaa Muhammad al-Sayed live?
How do you suppose her family answered this question?
Cheers,
That is one fine post, Mitch. You are on a roll. Over the years, I have evolved (so to speak) from a believer in “freedom OF religion” to “freedom FROM religion.” As a result, I am less inclined to make efforts to learn more about any particular religion. Thanks for sharing your intellectual curiosity.
To answer your question, I would suspect that the family fell prey to a common problem associated with strict adherence to a single written code in proclaiming her death sentence. Namely, it is up to the reader to pick and choose which elements of the code are paramount. Oftentimes, paramount is akin to “without exception.” Without context, any single written sentence can become one of death.
That is one fine post, Mitch. You are on a roll. Over the years, I have evolved (so to speak) from a believer in “freedom OF religion” to “freedom FROM religion.” As a result, I am less inclined to make efforts to learn more about any particular religion. Thanks for sharing your intellectual curiosity.
To answer your question, I would suspect that the family fell prey to a common problem associated with strict adherence to a single written code in proclaiming her death sentence. Namely, it is up to the reader to pick and choose which elements of the code are paramount. Oftentimes, paramount is akin to “without exception.” Without context, any single written sentence can become one of death.
Thanks, WR…
Your “freedom FROM religion” notwithstanding, I have been studying the Qur’an. I’m no Biblical scholar, but I took over twenty hours of Bible classes in college. I mention this only to point out that these studies prepared me for what I’m doing now.
I’ve also found some very helpful resources on the web, some of which I linked to in the post. One of the more useful is the University of Southern California Compendium of Muslim Texts. For every verse in the Qur’an, this site gives you three translations, side-by-side. No doubt meaning is lost in translation, but being able to read the interpretations of three translators helps overcome an inability to read Arabic…
I have been monitoring news feeds to prove the veracity of this story. If it turns out to be true, I too am not hopeful that Ms. al-Sayed is still alive. In my opinion, she should be.
Cheers,
Thanks, WR…
Your “freedom FROM religion” notwithstanding, I have been studying the Qur’an. I’m no Biblical scholar, but I took over twenty hours of Bible classes in college. I mention this only to point out that these studies prepared me for what I’m doing now.
I’ve also found some very helpful resources on the web, some of which I linked to in the post. One of the more useful is the University of Southern California Compendium of Muslim Texts. For every verse in the Qur’an, this site gives you three translations, side-by-side. No doubt meaning is lost in translation, but being able to read the interpretations of three translators helps overcome an inability to read Arabic…
I have been monitoring news feeds to prove the veracity of this story. If it turns out to be true, I too am not hopeful that Ms. al-Sayed is still alive. In my opinion, she should be.
Cheers,
Mitch, so you’re a blogger now! Welcome to the fold. I initially assumed this would mean we’d get to hear more of your opinions, as opposed to the content of your comments to other’s posts being mainly questions. I guess I should’ve taken a clue from the title of your post. Your contribution seems to consist mainly of text excerpts followed by more questions. The only outright opinion is the one you tagged as such: [In my opinion, she should be].
So you’ve established the fact that Islam and Middle Eastern culture are not like Christianity and American culture. What’s your point? Are you suggesting they should be more like us?
There’s been a lot of talk lately of Islamic reformation. Interesting how Americans take the position that we have the right way and everyone else should conform. Do we need to fly around in a red, white and blue cape and save everyone on the planet?
This is just what Christians have been trying to do for centuries. The result is the annihilation and assimilation of cultures such as the Hawaiians, the Native Americans and Australian Aborigines. Maybe you think we should take their cue and remove Muslim children from their families, ship them off to Christian schools, forbid them to speak their native language or practice their customs. Then we’d all be safe from the terrible Islamic threat, and Islam would become the docile, morally upstanding religion you believe it should be.
Personally, if someone halfway across the world wants to kill their daughter for being an apostate, it’s not my place to judge. If there is a God, let Her deal with it.
Mitch, so you’re a blogger now! Welcome to the fold. I initially assumed this would mean we’d get to hear more of your opinions, as opposed to the content of your comments to other’s posts being mainly questions. I guess I should’ve taken a clue from the title of your post. Your contribution seems to consist mainly of text excerpts followed by more questions. The only outright opinion is the one you tagged as such: [In my opinion, she should be].
So you’ve established the fact that Islam and Middle Eastern culture are not like Christianity and American culture. What’s your point? Are you suggesting they should be more like us?
There’s been a lot of talk lately of Islamic reformation. Interesting how Americans take the position that we have the right way and everyone else should conform. Do we need to fly around in a red, white and blue cape and save everyone on the planet?
This is just what Christians have been trying to do for centuries. The result is the annihilation and assimilation of cultures such as the Hawaiians, the Native Americans and Australian Aborigines. Maybe you think we should take their cue and remove Muslim children from their families, ship them off to Christian schools, forbid them to speak their native language or practice their customs. Then we’d all be safe from the terrible Islamic threat, and Islam would become the docile, morally upstanding religion you believe it should be.
Personally, if someone halfway across the world wants to kill their daughter for being an apostate, it’s not my place to judge. If there is a God, let Her deal with it.
[There’s been a lot of talk lately of Islamic reformation…]
When it comes to religious belief, persuasion is an in-effective tool, for you’re not dealing with the rational mind, but with matters of faith. The only way for Islam to change is from within. The scholars must consider passages on, for example, apostasy, and modify—or not—what they teach. Your circumspection about Ms. al-Sayed’s fate does not surprise me.
[Interesting how Americans take the position that we have the right way and everyone else should conform.]
I realize as an American, I have absolutely no credibility on this or any other quasi Middle Eastern question, so I’ll defer to Egypt’s official religious advisor, Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa.
This is precisely what I’m talking about.
Cheers,
[There’s been a lot of talk lately of Islamic reformation…]
When it comes to religious belief, persuasion is an in-effective tool, for you’re not dealing with the rational mind, but with matters of faith. The only way for Islam to change is from within. The scholars must consider passages on, for example, apostasy, and modify—or not—what they teach. Your circumspection about Ms. al-Sayed’s fate does not surprise me.
[Interesting how Americans take the position that we have the right way and everyone else should conform.]
I realize as an American, I have absolutely no credibility on this or any other quasi Middle Eastern question, so I’ll defer to Egypt’s official religious advisor, Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa.
This is precisely what I’m talking about.
Cheers,
I want to respond to reckless G’s last statement: “if someone halfway across the world wants to kill their daughter for being an apostate, it’s not my place to judge. If there is a God, let her deal with it”.
If someone halfway down the street from your house wants to do the same and kill their daughter for being an apostate, would you judge it then? Obviously you have found it to be your place to judge a blogger for his post not meeting your standards of blogging. You have found it your place to judge Americans who try to help others in the world. You have found it your place to judge Christians. You also have made it clear that this is NOT your problem and that you don’t have to worry about it. You just aren’t going to deal with it. Hey, it’s not like it was YOUR daughter and she was half way across the world, right?
You have made it clear that you aren’t a follower of any religion by stating “if there is a God”. This makes you an infidel according to the Qu’ran and therefore the same people want to kill you and will if they ever get a shot at you. Don’t worry, the same country you live in and judge is protecting you from your own slaughter. You don’t have to worry about any of this. What’s that? There are followers of the Qu’ran in this country too? I sure hope they don’t find you but then again, it’s not my place to judge and you are probably halfway across Aspen. Not for me to worry I suppose. I’ll let God deal with it.
Cheers!
I want to respond to reckless G’s last statement: “if someone halfway across the world wants to kill their daughter for being an apostate, it’s not my place to judge. If there is a God, let her deal with it”.
If someone halfway down the street from your house wants to do the same and kill their daughter for being an apostate, would you judge it then? Obviously you have found it to be your place to judge a blogger for his post not meeting your standards of blogging. You have found it your place to judge Americans who try to help others in the world. You have found it your place to judge Christians. You also have made it clear that this is NOT your problem and that you don’t have to worry about it. You just aren’t going to deal with it. Hey, it’s not like it was YOUR daughter and she was half way across the world, right?
You have made it clear that you aren’t a follower of any religion by stating “if there is a God”. This makes you an infidel according to the Qu’ran and therefore the same people want to kill you and will if they ever get a shot at you. Don’t worry, the same country you live in and judge is protecting you from your own slaughter. You don’t have to worry about any of this. What’s that? There are followers of the Qu’ran in this country too? I sure hope they don’t find you but then again, it’s not my place to judge and you are probably halfway across Aspen. Not for me to worry I suppose. I’ll let God deal with it.
Cheers!
[You [RecklessG] have made it clear that you aren’t a follower of any religion.]
For the record, G is a Taoist…
Oh, and btw, welcome back G.
Cheers,
[You [RecklessG] have made it clear that you aren’t a follower of any religion.]
For the record, G is a Taoist…
Oh, and btw, welcome back G.
Cheers,
Thanks Mitch, I tried to stay out, but you drew me back. Good research by the way, I just wish I understood where you’re going with it.
Diamondryder (someone new?!) you wrote:
[If someone halfway down the street from your house wants to do the same and kill their daughter for being an apostate, would you judge it then?]
That’s for the law of this land to decide, not me. Why we concern ourselves with the laws of other lands is a mystery to me. Live and let live (or die).
[Obviously you have found it to be your place to judge a blogger…Americans…Christians.]
Mmmm…I don’t think so. I’m not judging Mitch, I’m just asking for his opinion. Americans…can do whatever they want within the law…not judging Christians either, just making some historical observations.
Judgement means pronouncing right or wrong. I don’t do that, at least I make an effort not to. That doesn’t mean I don’t have some strong opinions of my own! But try not to take them personally.
[…the same people want to kill you and will if they ever get a shot at you…There are followers of the Qu'ran in this country too?]
Sorry, you can’t scare me with that one, I don’t buy it. First of all I’ve traveled to the Middle East and no one tried to kill me. In fact, they were quite welcoming and tolerant. And anyway, as Mitch pointed out so well, not believing in God doesn’t make me an apostate. An apostate is one who changes their religion from one thing to another. Technically that WOULD make me an apostate, as I was a Christian who adopted Taoism. But I am not a citizen of a country where the apostate laws apply, therefore am in no danger. As far as Muslims in this country, they obey our laws and if they don’t and they kill me, then they’ll be judged by our laws and no it’s not your place to judge…unless you’re on the jury.
Thanks Mitch, I tried to stay out, but you drew me back. Good research by the way, I just wish I understood where you’re going with it.
Diamondryder (someone new?!) you wrote:
[If someone halfway down the street from your house wants to do the same and kill their daughter for being an apostate, would you judge it then?]
That’s for the law of this land to decide, not me. Why we concern ourselves with the laws of other lands is a mystery to me. Live and let live (or die).
[Obviously you have found it to be your place to judge a blogger…Americans…Christians.]
Mmmm…I don’t think so. I’m not judging Mitch, I’m just asking for his opinion. Americans…can do whatever they want within the law…not judging Christians either, just making some historical observations.
Judgement means pronouncing right or wrong. I don’t do that, at least I make an effort not to. That doesn’t mean I don’t have some strong opinions of my own! But try not to take them personally.
[…the same people want to kill you and will if they ever get a shot at you…There are followers of the Qu'ran in this country too?]
Sorry, you can’t scare me with that one, I don’t buy it. First of all I’ve traveled to the Middle East and no one tried to kill me. In fact, they were quite welcoming and tolerant. And anyway, as Mitch pointed out so well, not believing in God doesn’t make me an apostate. An apostate is one who changes their religion from one thing to another. Technically that WOULD make me an apostate, as I was a Christian who adopted Taoism. But I am not a citizen of a country where the apostate laws apply, therefore am in no danger. As far as Muslims in this country, they obey our laws and if they don’t and they kill me, then they’ll be judged by our laws and no it’s not your place to judge…unless you’re on the jury.
[if you were born into an agnostic family and choose to become, for example, a Mormon, a Buddhist, or a Taoist, you are an apostate…]
vs.
[And anyway, as Mitch pointed out so well, not believing in God doesn’t make me an apostate.]
Screw critical reading skills…
Cheers,
[if you were born into an agnostic family and choose to become, for example, a Mormon, a Buddhist, or a Taoist, you are an apostate…]
vs.
[And anyway, as Mitch pointed out so well, not believing in God doesn’t make me an apostate.]
Screw critical reading skills…
Cheers,
Begging your pardon Mitch but isn’t it…
[not only is conversion from Islam to non-belief or another religion apostasy, so is converting from non-belief or a non-Muslim religion to another non-Muslim religion.]
vs.
[An apostate is one who changes their religion from one thing to another. Technically that WOULD make me an apostate, as I was a Christian who adopted Taoism. ]
?
Begging your pardon Mitch but isn’t it…
[not only is conversion from Islam to non-belief or another religion apostasy, so is converting from non-belief or a non-Muslim religion to another non-Muslim religion.]
vs.
[An apostate is one who changes their religion from one thing to another. Technically that WOULD make me an apostate, as I was a Christian who adopted Taoism. ]
?