It is an established fact that the Prophet never, in his entire life, put an apostate to 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. Note that attention is on the word sin, for there is qualification: as long as one’s apostasy has not been accompanied by anything else that would be deemed a criminal act, particularly in terms of national security, then according to the author, it remains a matter strictly between God and the individual. Of interest is the fact that the Qur’an significantly refers to individuals repeatedly returning to unbelief after having believed, but does not mention that they should be killed or punished. This work has been written at a time of great complexity and vulnerability when a true understanding of the higher intents and values of the Qur’an and the Sunnah, maqasid al-shariah, is sorely needed. The author employs a strong evidence-based approach examining in detail the Qur’an and authentic Hadith, taking into consideration traditional approaches to the study of the Islamic textual sciences and other fields of knowledge, as well as analyzing scholastic interpretation. Taking the life of a person without just cause is according to the Qur’an equivalent to the killing of the whole of mankind. It is vital therefore, that in the interests of compassion and justice, as well as freedom of belief, this subject is clearly addressed once and for all.

In Exploring the Multitude of Muslims in Europe a number of friends and colleagues of Jørgen S. Nielsen have joined together to celebrate his life and work by reflecting his more than forty years of scholarly contributions to the study of Islam and Muslims in Europe. The fourteen articles move through conceptualisations, productions and explorations of the multitudes of Muslims in Europe, and the authors draw on Jørgen S. Nielsen’s own work on the history and challenges of the Muslim community in Europe, critical thinking, ethnicities and theologies of Muslims in Europe, Muslim minorities, Muslim-Christian relations, and on Islamic legal challenges in Europe. Contributors are: Samim Akgönül, Ahmet Alibašić, Naveed Baig, Safet Bektovic, Mohammed Hashas, Thomas Hoffmann, Hans Raun Iversen, Göran Larsson, Werner Menski, Egdūnas Račius, Lissi Rasmussen, Mathias Rohe, Emil B. H. Saggau, Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen, Thijl Sunier, and Niels Valdemar Vinding.

From the earliest days till now Islam and the world of Islam have not been harmed so severely by any external enemy as by some simple-minded Muslim ulema themselves. In fact, the enemies of Islam have utilized the unwise religious edicts of these naive ulema as a basis to attack Islam. The wrong trend among the ulema took place when, under the influence of changing sociopolitical environment, they preferred to adopt some politically coloured Islamic interpretations and ignored the clear teachings of the Qur’an and the noble precedence set by the Holy Prophet(sa). Killing of apostates is one of such erroneous trends and baseless convictions. In fact, this menacing tenet is based neither on the Qur’an nor on the practice of the Prophet of Islam. This dangerous and untenable belief produced very grave consequences. Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad(rh), the fourth successor of the Promised Messiah(as) in a lecture delivered at Jalsa Salana (the Annual Gathering) UK on 27th July, 1986 analysed in depth all aspects of this heinous tenet. He showed it to be an utterly false and unfounded belief and smashed once for all the so-called arguments of the ulema in support of this claim. He has proved it to be a false belief. His arguments are based on the Holy Qur’an, the Sunnah and Ahadith of the Holy Prophet(sa) and the historical events that took place in the eras of the Righteous Caliphs(ra). Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad(rh) deals with the subject extensively and it is earnestly hoped that the address will help unbiased researchers to fully understand the true teachings of Islam on the subject. It is also hoped that it will go a long way to creating a new spirit in which Islamic teachings are appreciated in their real essence and true nature and prejudice against Islam is eradicated.

Debate on freedom of religion as a human right takes place not only in the Western world but also in Muslim communities throughout the world. For Muslims concerned for this freedom, one of the major difficulties is the 'punishment for apostasy' - death for those who desert Islam. This book argues that the law of apostasy and its punishment by death in Islamic law is untenable in the modern period. Apostasy conflicts with a variety of foundation texts of Islam and with the current ethos of human rights, in particular the freedom to choose one's religion. Demonstrating the early development of the law of apostasy as largely a religio-political tool, the authors show the diversity of opinion among early Muslims on the punishment, highlighting the substantial ambiguities about what constitutes apostasy, the problematic nature of some of the key textual evidence on which the punishment of apostasy is based, and the neglect of a vast amount of clear Qur'anic texts in favour of freedom of religion in the construction of the law of apostasy. Examining the significant challenges the punishment of apostasy faces in the modern period inside and outside Muslim communities - exploring in particular how apostasy and its punishment is dealt with in a multi-religious Muslim majority country, Malaysia, and the challenges and difficulties it faces there - the authors discuss arguments by prominent Muslims today for an absolute freedom of religion and for discarding the punishment of apostasy.

A renowned scholar of Islamic studies interviews ex-Muslims, who feel it is their duty to speak up against their former faith to tell the truth about the fastest growing religion in the world.

Murder in the Name of Allah is the first translation into English of Mazhab Ke Nam Per Khoon, a re-affirmation of the basic tenets of Islam. Hardly a day passes on which an Islamic event does not make headlines. The president of a Muslim country is assassinated by the supporters of Muslim brotherhood; a European journalist is taken hostage by Islamic Jihad; a Pan-American aircraft is hijacked by another Muslim group; American university professors are taken into custody by Hezbullah; Two passenger carrying airplanes were slammed in to world trade center. The glare of 'Islamic' revolution in Iran is reflected through the flares of every gulf oil refinery. This book is a reminder that the purpose of any religion is the spread of peace, tolerance and understanding. It argues that the meaning of Islam—submission to the will of God—has been steadily corrupted by minority elements in the community. Instead of spreading peace, the religion has been abused by fanatics and made an excuse for violence and the spread of terror, both inside and outside the faith. In confirming the true spirit of Islam, it makes the point to followers of all religions that the future of mankind depends on the intrinsic values of love, tolerance, and freedom of conscience and of belief.