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A very strong Islami word and ongoing Islami culture for last 1500 years. A Murtaad is an apostate, a former Muslim who left Islam. Among all the religions it is ONLY Islam which does not allow a Murtaad to live and prescribes death to him.

Let us look at it during a brief travel through the Qura’an, Sahi Bokhari, Islamic history and contemporary events. And of course, this article is not the end or the last word on the issue as any other article on Islam.

A person may leave Islam for many reasons, starting from love affairs to circumstantial/scriptural/historical/real experiences of life. In reality we never experienced any effort from Maolanas to call them for a discussion or dialogue to find out the root cause/s of people leaving Islam.

Instead of putting an effort in bringing the Murtaads back to Islam with love and affection, instead of researching on the reasons and causes of people leaving Islam, Islam in every way only forced them to stay. There was no instance to rectify the issues. Use of force always has been THE characteristic of Islami Leadership. For some quick references on relationship and inheritance, pages 112 and 238 of Bangla-Qura’an by Maolana Muhiuddin Khan may be looked at.

We get the pinnacle of religious tolerance when the Qura’an clearly says: - "LA’AKUM DEENUKUM WALIA DEEN" (Your religion is yours, mine is mine) or "LA IKRAHA FID-DEEN" (No compulsion in religion).

This statement is in head-on-collision, with direct conflict with the death-prescription for Murtaads. How our Maolanas rationalise this conflict? Let us start with the verses of the Qura’an itself.

Please look at Sura Imran, few verses from 86 onwards. It says that a Murtaad: (1) Will not be guided by God, (2) Will be cursed by mankind and angels, (3) Will be heavily punished, no specific worldly punishment mentioned, (4) Repentance will be accepted ONLY BEFORE their infidelity increases.

This is again echoed in Sura Nisa-137. Sura Nahl in Ayat 106 and Sura Ash Sh’ura Ayat 16 (also related :- Ayat 44 of Sura Al-Kalam ) say that Murtaads will receive great torment and wrath of God, no specific worldly punishment is mentioned. Sura Al-Imran 106 specifically mentions about Murtaad’s specific punishment in after-life, not in this world. Al-Bakara Ayat 217 is quite clear about it: - "…and whoever of you turns back from his faith, then dies while an infidel, such are they whose deeds shall be in vain in this world and the hereafter, and they are the inmates of fire, therein shall they abide".

In Al-Ahjab Ayat 60, "Wherever they are found they shall be seized and killed" is said about hypocrites, agitators and people with "diseased heart", not specifically about Murtaads. Point to notice that the authority of this decision about a person with "diseased heart" is left vague. Anybody with cap-beard-Alkhalla (Kandura, - Middle-Eastern long dress) can suddenly jump up and decide about anybody as "diseased heart" and so Murtaad, and kill on divine order.

Many of Islam’s social problems arise from this single factor and are reflected in difference of decisions in critically important matters of Muslim world. It is indeed dangerous that a huge institution of 1 billion Sunnis, scattered in different parts of the world, is running for centuries without a central command.

So we saw that the Qura’an mentions about apostates again and again but no worldly punishment such as killing is ever prescribed anywhere with clarity as in the cases of adultery or theft. This punishment, death to Murtaads, is decided by our Jurisprudent Maolanas on the basis of the Prophet’s (SA) examples, as we will see later from Sahi Bokhari. Now let us look at history.

The first declared "Murtaads" were Hz. Imam Hossain (RA), before Karbala. This Fatwa was lectured in all the mosques under Yazid, and is available in Shia-books. In the 3 civil wars among Muslims (which took off all the strength of people - Sahi Bokhari) there must have been many declarations of this term, not recorded though. Later we find the then famous Imam Houz declaring none but a Dervish Hz. Abdul Kader Jilani (RA) as "Kafir", which means a Murtaad (Preface of Fathul Goyob – By Hz. Abdul Kader Jilani RA). Considering Fatwas declaring Muslims as "Kaffirs", there is a long list of Murtaads, showing the use-at-will of the term by Muslims against one another.

If I remember correctly, the Berilvi and Deobondi Alims also at one time called each other "Kafirs", meaning Murtaads. Recently we experienced Fatwas calling Taslima Nasreen, Khalid Duran, even Pakistani President Musharraf as "Murtads". It is necessarily Maolanas who declare/d these Fatwas, but the qualification and authority of these Fatwa-Baaj Maolanas was never effectively questioned. Let us look at our Prophet (SA) now. Sahi Bokhari, Vol-4, page-162, Hadis#261: -

"A group of eight men from tribe of "Ukil…………………then they killed the shepherd ……and they became unbelievers after they were Muslims………and before the sun rose high, they were brought, and he (the Prophet SA) had their hands and feet cut off. Then he ordered for nails which were heated and passed over their eyes and they were left in the Harra (Rocky land in Medina). They asked for water and nobody provided them with water till they died……"

Anyway, such brutal torture by a Prophet (clamed to be Rahmatullil Al Amin - mercy to the whole creation) is not the issue of this article. In the above Hadis it is not clear whether they were killed for killing a Muslim (the Shepard) or leaving Islam. In "DEEN KI BAT(n)E" of Maolana Ashraf Ali Thanvi we see that there is another version of dealing with Murtaad. That is, to imprison an apostate until death. But both the law and practice remained simply to kill an apostate.

What about apostates such as Taslima Nasreen or Khalid Duran whom they cannot physically reach and kill? Maolanas are smart enough; they made a rule to punish them from a distance of time/place. Islami Sharia dissolves the marriage of a Murtaad with a Muslim, however long it might have lasted before a spouse becomes Murtaad. And of course, Murtaads are also to be socially boycotted, not to inherit properties; Muslims are instructed not to take a Murtaad as a friend.

So we see, Islam tried its best and barricaded every way of Muslims to leave Islam. It violated its own divine declaration of the Qura’an: - "LAKUM DEENUKUM WALIA DEEN" " (Your religion is yours, mine is mine) and "LA IKRAHA FID-DEEN" (No compulsion in religion). A notable characteristic of Islami Leadership is to utter these peaceful words where they are weak, as in Europe/North America.

But in places where they are strong, as in Afghanistan, Pakistan or Bangladesh, they are expert of declaring Fatwa of "Murtaad" to freethinkers/writers and even to the Judges of Courts. "Mufti" Amini in Bangladesh is a champion in this practice (this man is in fact a Murtaad of humanity). Practically this authority became like "paternal property" of "Maolanas" to use as they please, while all the peace-loving Muslims stand either idle or scream, "This is not Real Islam!!". Recently after 9/11, we saw many formal Fatwas declaring many people "Murtaads" including Pakistani President Musharraf.

What happens when a non-Muslim becomes Murtaad of his/her religion and embraces Islam? Is s/he also to be killed by Islami Fatwa? Oh, dear! We don’t kill them but rejoice and forward their examples/biographies in NFB and elsewhere with great satisfaction. Does it prove that Islam acknowledges right to change religion? Should be so. But unfortunately it is very much a "One Way Lane".

You are not only allowed but also encouraged to change your religion, only TO Islam, not FROM Islam. There is a demon standing on the way back. This is like preaching Islam. You are allowed to preach Islam anywhere in the world, but you cannot preach any other religion in some countries. You are allowed to build Mosques anywhere in the world but you cannot build a temple in some parts of the world. And we scream about "Peaceful Islam" to non-Muslims. What this attitude is called? Honest? Divine? Hypocrisy? Double standard? Playing smart? Or all of them?

Whatever is the case, the whole world can see it, and there are some Murtaads who don’t care. Always there will be. They are ready to pay any price for freedom of faith, for themselves and for all. As Voltaire (?) said: - "I may not agree with you, but I am ready to shed my blood to protect your freedom of opinion". Some modern civilised wo/man have enough enlightment, conscience, decision-making capacity and humanity to offload any "One Way Lane".