G
gilliam
Guest
“When Muslims Convert” (originally published in Commentary, but publicly available here) provides an overview of the problem of Muslim apostasy. The article explains that this is a serious issue not only in the Middle East, but also in the West – and that the practice of killing those who apostate from the faith sadly has its intellectual apologists in the West.
“The Islam Challenge” details a rather remarkable Christian satellite television show that has been broadcast in the Middle East. The show is noteworthy both because it tries to bring the kind of unfettered religious debate that we’re accustomed to in the West to the Middle East, and also because one of the show’s hosts is himself a convert from Islam to Christianity. A note from the article on the status of religious freedom in the Middle East in late July 2005: “In large part, Questions About Faith [the satellite TV show] has met with a strong reaction in the Middle East because of Islam’s privileged position in the region. No fewer than 11 Arab states outlaw proselytism by non-Islamic faiths, and at least 9 Arab countries outlaw apostasy. But the greater threat comes from vigilantes. According to statistics obtained from Compass Direct News Agency, 23 expatriate Christian workers have been killed in the Muslim world since 2002. While it’s difficult to estimate the number of apostates who are killed for their new faith, Paul Marshall, a senior fellow at Freedom House’s Center for Religious Freedom, estimates that dozens have been killed in the past year.”
“Muslim Apostasy: When Silence Isn’t Golden” was published in early 2005, after Prince Charles tried to lead efforts to combat the Islamic law of apostasy. He was told by the Muslim delegation that he brought to his private summit that non-Muslims should not speak publicly about apostasy laws. This article makes the case for why Westerners *should *speak out on the issue.
counterterror.typepad.com/the_counterterrorism_blog/2006/03/the_apostasy_pr.html
“The Islam Challenge” details a rather remarkable Christian satellite television show that has been broadcast in the Middle East. The show is noteworthy both because it tries to bring the kind of unfettered religious debate that we’re accustomed to in the West to the Middle East, and also because one of the show’s hosts is himself a convert from Islam to Christianity. A note from the article on the status of religious freedom in the Middle East in late July 2005: “In large part, Questions About Faith [the satellite TV show] has met with a strong reaction in the Middle East because of Islam’s privileged position in the region. No fewer than 11 Arab states outlaw proselytism by non-Islamic faiths, and at least 9 Arab countries outlaw apostasy. But the greater threat comes from vigilantes. According to statistics obtained from Compass Direct News Agency, 23 expatriate Christian workers have been killed in the Muslim world since 2002. While it’s difficult to estimate the number of apostates who are killed for their new faith, Paul Marshall, a senior fellow at Freedom House’s Center for Religious Freedom, estimates that dozens have been killed in the past year.”
“Muslim Apostasy: When Silence Isn’t Golden” was published in early 2005, after Prince Charles tried to lead efforts to combat the Islamic law of apostasy. He was told by the Muslim delegation that he brought to his private summit that non-Muslims should not speak publicly about apostasy laws. This article makes the case for why Westerners *should *speak out on the issue.
counterterror.typepad.com/the_counterterrorism_blog/2006/03/the_apostasy_pr.html