Apostates; Islam & Freedom of Faith, Change of Conviction VS Change of Allegiance

Author

Abusulayman; Abdulhamid

Year

2013

Publisher

International Institute of Islamic Thought

Language

English

Pages

Link

Last Update

17-Jan-2026

Keywords

Religion

Description

IT’s Occasional Paper 22, Apostates, Islam and Freedom of Faith: Change of Conviction versus Change of Allegiance by AbdulHamid AbuSulayman, explores the sensitive subject of al-Riddah (apostasy, or the act of exiting the Faith) and more importantly the controversial issue of capital punishment as possible penalty for those “guilty” of abandoning the religion. The essay forms part of an original larger work in Arabic entitled, Al-Iṣlāḥ al-Islāmī al-Muʿāṣir: Qirā’āt Manhajiyyah Ijtimāʿiyyah(2011 ).

The question is one of utmost importance. Mainstream media and critics of Islam delight in pointing to the death penality as evidence of Islam’s draconian tenets, moral flaws...