Reply to hr concerning Ridha

Submitted by Harrak (Canada), Feb 8, 2006 at 15:43

hr: you asked me what I think about the ridha law. In Islam that law says -according to some traditions- that if a Muslim gives up his faith, he deserves the death penalty. Well, First I BELIEVE THAT DEATH PENALTY IS UNACCEPTABLE. I advocate prison for life with possibility for parole up on records. However, I can explain to you why them -Muslims and not I- have this law in the following way.

Look, in Western democracies the punishment for betrayal or treason is in some states Death Penalty and some others life in prison. So If an American gives up the pact of citizenship to work for the former USSR as an example he could be sentenced that way. Well, Islam as a state law works the same way, chaging the faith is like changing the allegiance and there for NO DIFFERENCE between Islam and Western democracies in this respect. This was a brief explanation from a Muslim perspective.

My perspective is of course against death penalty but for 20 to 25 years in prison for betrayal or treason ...

Thank you for the good question !

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