Apostasy in Islam: A Historical and Scriptural Analysis

death. Yet, the issue remains one of the most controversial to have afflicted the

Muslim world down the centuries. It is also the source of much damaging media

coverage today as Islamic jurisprudence stands accused of a flagrant disregard for

human rights and freedom of expression.

The subject of this book is a highly sensitive and important one. The author rightly

concentrates on evidence, to examine the historical origins of the debate in rigorous

detail, as well as the many moral and contextual issues surrounding it. Disputing

arguments put forward by proponents of the death penalty he contends that both

the Qur'an and the Sunnah promote freedom of belief including the act of exiting

the Faith and do not support capital punishment for the sin of al-riddah.