Iran Debates Death Penalty for Converts to Christianity in Wake of “Mass Exodus From Islam”
What?!? Are you telling me that Islam needs to use the threat of death to keep its numbers up? But, I thought Islam was the “fastest growing religion…” (/sarcasm)
Iran: Parliament to discuss death penalty for converts who leave Islam
Tehran, 19 March (AKI) – In its first session since last week’s general elections, the new Iranian parliament is expected to discuss a law that will condemn to death anyone who decides to leave the Muslim faith and convert to other religions.
The parliament, also known as the Majlis, will debate the new law which has been presented by the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Under the proposed law, anyone who is born to Muslim parents and decides to convert to another faith, will face the death penalty.
Currently converts, particularly those who have decided to leave the Muslim faith for Evangelical churches, are arrested and then released after some years of detention.
The new legislation, which has caused concern in Iran and abroad, was proposed mainly because of fears of proselytising activities by Evangelical churches particularly through the use of satellite channels.
There has also been concern over fact that many young people in Iran have abandoned Islam because they’re tired of the many restrictions imposed by the faith.
According to unofficial sources, in the past five years, one million Iranians, particularly young people and women, have abandoned Islam and joined Evangelical churches.
This phenomenon has surprised even the missionaries who carry out their activities in secret in Iran.
An Evangelical priest and former Muslim in Iran told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the conversions were “interesting, enthusiastic but very dangerous”.
“The high number of conversions is the reason that the government has decided to make the repression of Christians official with this new law,” said the priest on condition of anonymity.
“Often we get to know about a new community that has been formed, after a lot of time, given that the people gather in homes to pray and often with rituals that they invent without any real spiritual guide,” he told AKI.
“We find ourselves facing what is more than a conversion to the Christian faith,” he said. “It’s a mass exodus from Islam.”
Since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, at least eight Christians have been killed for their faith.
Seven of them were found stabbed to death after they were kidnapped while only one, Seyyed Hossein Soudmand was condemned to death.
Explore posts in the same categories: Iranian stupidity, Religiocide
19 March, 2008 at 10:39 am
I’ll believe this when I start seeing pics of mule-ahs swinging from cranes.
Let’s hope that happens sooner rather than later.
19 March, 2008 at 11:12 am
The Achilles Heel of Islam is that it has very little to do with faith and everything to do with ritual — physical acts to demonstrate ones submission. Ritual prayers, fasting, and incantations can all be done with very little heart-felt conviction. The appeal of Christianity is that it begins with “logos” or reasoning, and that reasoning leads to an abiding conviction — faith.
The Quran says that Allah handed down a “Gospel” to Jesus. (Surah 5:46) In reality, there are four Gospels in the Bible, and all of them document in great deal Jesus’ entire life including his crucifixion. Clearly, a single Gospel handed to Jesus during his lifetime wouldn’t have the same scope. The Quran never mentions the remaining half of the New Testament which contains the theology (and reasoning) of the Christian faith, even though the complete document was attested to exist in the Quran. (Surah 4:136). In this verse Muslims are warned that if they don’t follow all of the Scriptures that were formerly revealed they have wandered far astray. Why is it, then, that the Bible is banned or confiscated in many Muslim countries? It may be that Muslims are searching for the “faith” which they find lacking in the Quran.
The number of Muslims who have left Islam mentally may be greater than imagined because they can continue to go through the ritual practices while without having any internal faith in what they are doing.
19 March, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Chris said “The number of Muslims who have left Islam mentally may be greater than imagined because they can continue to go through the ritual practices while without having any internal faith in what they are doing.”
Many, many tertiary educated Muslims admit to their non-Muslim colleagues in private
that “it’s more important to belong than believe”
19 March, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Yusuf Al-Qaradaw is head of the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR)
A real piece of work huh?
I believe the group is based in Scotland. I say kick their a***s out.
19 March, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Here is a quote for you Doc.
19 March, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Islam could probably keep its numbers up, if they would stop blowing themselves up, beheading each other at the drop of a hat, marrying children that are too young to be parents, and driving aircraft into buildings.
Seems to follow Darwinian law pretty well.
19 March, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Blackdog,
Unfortunately, the Darwinian theory of “Survival of the fittest” falls apart when a species is able to reproduce at an alarming rate….
VelvetHammer,
Whew! I almost mistook that quote as being from THE Schrodinger. Which raises and interesting question… If we replaced his infamous cat in the box with a “moderate” Muslim in a prison, would the moderate Muslim exist, not exist, or both?
Actually, either way it doesn’t really matter to me. I just got a kick out of thinking about putting a Muslim in a cell with a jar of hydrocyanic acid that might, or might not be released – dependent upon whether or not a detected stray radioactive decay particle triggers the smashing of the cyanide jar during the period of incarceration… Yeah, I guess I’m creatively sadistic that way….
Cheers
20 March, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Hey you might find these death penalty statistics helpful. I completely agree with everything you said! http://officeofstrategicinfluence.com/deathpenalty/
24 March, 2008 at 11:07 am
Doc
I have found the source of the quote I had posted above.
http://isaacschrodinger.typepad.com/isaacschrodinger/2008/03/will-a-mirage-m.html
24 March, 2008 at 11:50 am
VH,
Thanks. I’ll give it a gander.
Cheers
26 March, 2008 at 8:14 pm
good stuff velvethammer