Islamic Tolerance
Afghani Muslims have kidnapped an Italian journalist and are demanding an exchange for Abdul Rahman. Rahman, you might remember, converted from Islam to Christianity and was promptly sentenced to death by Sharia Law. Italy managed to get Rahman out and offered him sanctuary in Italy.
So, the kidnappers are making it pretty clear: Italian Journalist, or Muslim Apostate – someone’s gonna die.
Interestingly enough, the Koran has no death penalty for apostasy. But one of the Sunnahs does.
Volume 4, Book 52, Number 260:
Narrated Ikrima:
Ali burnt some people and this news reached Ibn ‘Abbas, who said, “Had I been in his place I would not have burnt them, as the Prophet said, ‘Don’t punish (anybody) with Allah’s Punishment.’ No doubt, I would have killed them, for the Prophet said, ‘If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.’ “
If you are just learning about Islam, you really need to read more than just the Koran. Muslims take these ancillary works just as seriously as the Koran, and those texts are littered with atrocity. You would be well served to understand these things.
Technorati Tags: islam, apostate
Filed under: Islam
I don’t quite understand that passage. He won’t burn them, but he would kill them? Is that the gist of it?
I believe burning people is reserved as a punishment to be handed out by Allah. In this passage, Hazrat Ali, the fourth Caliph of Islam, burned to death a collection of Zindeeqs (people who claim to be Muslim but then practice things that are forbidden, or kufr). The argument in the passage isn’t ‘should they be killed for violating Islam’, but ‘how should they be killed’.
Charming.