The Grand Mufti of Al Azhar, a religious institution of the Egyptian government, answers a series of questions for Newsweek on human rights. In regards to apostasy, he states:
...Religious belief and practice is a personal matter, and society only intervenes when that personal matter becomes public and threatens the well-being of its members. In some cases, this sin of the individual may also represent a greater break with the commonly held values of a society in an attempt to undermine its foundations or even attack its citizenry. Depending on the circumstances, this may reach the level of a crime of sedition against one’s society. Penalizing this sedition may be at odds with some conceptions of freedom that would go so far as to ensure people the freedom to destroy the society in which they live. This is a freedom that we do not allow since preservation of the society takes precedence over personal freedoms.
Such argumentation is used in a slightly different way by many of the region's dictatorial regimes, who use lines like: "We respect civil rights except when an action threatens 'the public order.'" It's a slippery slope, as any action by a freethinker or human rights activist becomes a "break with the commonly held values of a society." And if a person makes a "break," then he or she must be broken.
The Grand Mutfti's logic catches the Baha'is in Egypt, who are denied ID cards (despite being legally required to have them, as are all Egyptian citizens) and whose religious freedom is seriously curtailed because they are held by some to threaten the public order (i.e. the order of a state which accepts only three religions - Islam, Judaism and Christianity - as being "divine" religions).
The Baha'i Faith in Egypt blog is the best place to find out more:
http://bahai-egypt.blogspot.com/
The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights is also doing a great job:
http://www.bahairights.org
Posted by: Barney | July 23, 2007 at 08:33 AM
It's true a big part of what the mufti is saying... Islam is a religion that regulate social life. The cuestion is : Does the governor (chosen democratically as islam says) respct himself the obligations given by Islam for his mission ?
So this is the problem... the problem is not on Islam texts.
Posted by: shark | July 24, 2007 at 02:59 AM
That mufi is full of shit. Isn't this the same guy that railed against depictions of human form last year? In Egypt? Which has a huge tourism industry surrounding it's cultural heritage. That asshole was undermining public order by condemning what many Egyptians depend on for their livelihoods. And every self-righteous fundamentalist asshole is doing the same god damn thing. I'm sick of this self-righteous horse shit from people who have vested interest in preventing democratic institutions and exhibitions of personal freedoms.
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Posted by: puexcg uyrtwskhd | August 14, 2007 at 08:13 PM
Since the Iranian authorities have brushed aside the Rasul's injunction, "Unto you your religion and unto me, mine.There is no compulsion in religion", they would now do well to remember that, "they, who God destroys, first, He makes mad."
Posted by: Jamshed K. Fozdar | August 08, 2008 at 05:52 AM