Whoops. Remember what ElBayly said about killing apostates being “the call of God“? Well, never mind.
By Robin Acton for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, with thanks to Joe Myers and Kvamc:
Imam Fouad ElBayly has been asked to step down from his leadership roles at the Islamic Center of Johnstown, based on his comments published by the Tribune-Review….
ElBayly, who tried to block Hirsi Ali’s campus appearance, said her attacks on the Muslim faith were “poisonous.” He did not threaten her, but explained that “all of her lies” warrant a death sentence.
“The board and members of the Islamic Center of Johnstown were shocked and regret the comments made by Imam ElBayly regarding the visit of author Ms. Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The statements regarding the Islamic Center’s reaction to her visit were incorrect, unfounded and not the views of its members,” Dennis J. Stofko, the center’s attorney, said in a letter to the Tribune-Review.
Stofko indicated that ElBayly’s views “are not shared or tolerated by the Muslims” associated with the Johnstown center….
About a week later, ElBayly apologized for his comments on apostasy in a letter to the editor.
“… I have come to realize that I was mistaken in my understanding of that issue. I misspoke, and I apologize,” he wrote. “After further deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that a person’s religious choices are a personal matter and should not be subject to state or individual intervention.”
Now really, do you believe that a man who one week believed that Muhammad’s command “Baddala deenahu, faqtuluhu” — if anyone changes his religion, kill him (cf. Bukhari vol. 9, bk. 84, no. 57) — was valid for all time, would suddenly the next week discover the freedom of conscience? Or is it just expedient for him to have done so?