Let us put to rest the apostasy killing

Comment by Ruby Amatulla

There should not be any debate about apostasy killing in Islam. It is clear and fundamental that a person can accept Islam and then reject it as many times as one wants. His or her affair is with God only, no other human being or the society has any say in this. There should not be any temporal punishment for apostasy. The Quran declares that there is no coercion in matters of faith [2:256] and at least twenty other places the idea is clarified and reinforced.

Even the Prophet [P] was not given the authority to compel another human being to Islam. The Quran repeatedly asserts that the responsibility of the Prophet was to convey the message to others. Freedom of religion and freedom of conscience is a fundamental right in Islam.

The legitimacy of the Day of Judgment is based on the ideas of freedom of choice granted to human beings by the Creator. It is long overdue we all stand together to fight against this blatantly un-Islamic and unjust practice arising from false indoctrination and ignorance.

The website -- dedicated to stop ascribing capital punishment for an apostate -- has over hundred Islamic scholars from all corners of the world rejecting this wrong traditions arising from misconceptions and false indoctrinations. In order to do justice to Islam we must expose and purge this horrible and inhuman practice that Islam cannot condone.