WHY DOES ISLAM COMMAND KILLING OF INNOCENT PEOPLE?

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ISLAM (Episode 2): WHY DOES ISLAM COMMAND KILLING OF INNOCENT PEOPLE?

By Yusuff Ademola Adesina
It saddens my heart to hear my religion- the religion of the whole mankind, Islam- being ostracized in various forms by people around me. Last week, a full bearded man sporting a jumper trouser jumped a queue at the bank I was at, then a misinformed lady beside me commented, “hmmm. all the ‘mallam’. They are Muslims. If you dare correct them for jumping queues, they will massacre you!”
Upon hearing this, I was heatedly ruminating about several questions running through my mind ready to pour out. However, not to be a vested party, I want us to continue addressing the issues surrounding misconceptions about Islam, the social stereotype etc.
By the way, it should be borne in mind at this junction that not all ‘muslims’ are Muslims. We have factors such as culture, personality, social definition and so on, having great bearing on the type of Muslim they are, be it a ‘Muslim’ or just a Muslim.
The argument of people when they discuss the terroristic and violent state of Muslims is usually based on the Islamic legal law on apostasy, and the aggressive actions of the ‘radicalized muslims’ or the so called ‘orientalists’, who in no way represent the true essence of the religion. Whileit is true that Islamic legal law advocates death penalty to apostasy, yet if we were to condemn Islam because of this, then we should also condemn Christianity!
In this episode, we shall critically examine the status of apostasy in Islam and Christianity, and then the Islamic view on terrorism in the next episode.

APOSTASY IN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY

Strong objection has been raised against the death penalty to apostasy; people claiming that this is incompatible with modernism and human rights. However, the offence of apostasy is not unique to Islam or applicable to the Muslim community alone; other religions also have their own legal mechanism to resolve problems of apostasy.
In fact, Judaism and Christianity religions clearly declared apostasy as a public offense and punishable by law. The Judeo Christian Bible stipulated death punishment for an offence of apostasy:

“If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which (is) as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, let us go and serve other gods, which thou last not known, thou, nor thy fathers; of the gods of the people which are round about you , nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; Thou shall not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shall thou spare, neither shall thou conceal him; But thou shall surely kill him;thine hand shall be the first upon him to put to death, and afterwards the hand of the people.” (Deuteronomy 13:6-9)
Islam is a religion of peace and it protects the basic individual rights which include freedom of religion. Islam considers freedom of religion as a right. Every individual has the right and is free to choose his religion, be it Islam or any other religion that he likes. This is an unconditional freedom guaranteed by Islam.  Allah says:

“And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed – all of them entirely. Then, [O Muhammad], would you compel the people in order that they become believers?” (Q10:99)

 “There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion...” (Q2:256)
Nonetheless, it is noteworthy that Islam grants the freedom of religion but not absolutely. Once an individual is a Muslim, the right to choose religions is no more absolute. This is because the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:

“The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims." (SahihBukhari, Vol.9, BK.83, No. 17)
Rejecting Islam as a way of life after its acceptance implies malicious propaganda against Islam and a disgrace to the immediate Muslim community where the apostate lives. Such rejection will not only discourage people from accepting Islam as a way of life, but will encourage various forms of criminality and blasphemy.
Death penalty for apostasy is not unique to Islam. Islam is not a religion of violence and terrorism; it gives freedom of religion but not in absolute terms for someone who is a Muslim. So the killing of an apostate from the Islamic faith implies that such a person has violated the basis of Islam, attacked Islam openly and publicly with treachery and blasphemy. As such, he threatens the very basis of the moral and social order. This treachery may precipitate the advent of dangerous,revolutionizing civil rebellion within the Islamic society.
In fact, according to the US penal code, those owing allegiance to the United States levies war against them or adheres to their enemies-offering them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere- is guilty of treason and shall be imprisoned for not less than five years and fined under this title (but not less than $10, 000); and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States. Even as ‘dismissive’ an offence as espionage (exposing State secrets) is, it attracts the death penalty in most countries of the present era.

Conclusively, do you still agree that Islam commands baseless killing of innocent people? Use the comment box to submit your view.

Thank you for reading. Watch out for the next episode titled, Islam and Terrorism: Are Muslims Terrorists? 

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