The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law. It’s based on the Qur’an: “They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.” (Qur’an 4:89)
A hadith depicts Muhammad saying: “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57). The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence.
This is still the position of all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence, both Sunni and Shi’ite. Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the most renowned and prominent Muslim cleric in the world, has stated: “The Muslim jurists are unanimous that apostates must be punished, yet they differ as to determining the kind of punishment to be inflicted upon them. The majority of them, including the four main schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali) as well as the other four schools of jurisprudence (the four Shiite schools of Az-Zaidiyyah, Al-Ithna-‘ashriyyah, Al-Ja’fariyyah, and Az-Zaheriyyah) agree that apostates must be executed.”
Qaradawi also once famously said: “If they had gotten rid of the apostasy punishment, Islam wouldn’t exist today.”
Meanwhile, Islamic law stipulates that the “contract of protection” is ended and a non-Muslim’s life is forfeit if he “leads a Muslim away from Islam” (Reliance of the Traveller 011.10).
“Persecuted Christians await fate in Libya limbo,” by Katey Hearth, MNN, June 23, 2023:
Libya (MNN) — Six believers in Libya could soon face the death penalty for sharing their faith.
The group was detained in March as part of a wider crackdown on Christ-followers in Tripoli. Two American missionaries were arrested and deported during the same period.
One of the six believers published a video explaining how she came to Jesus when she was 15 years old.
“The six believers thought maybe they have like freedom now, they can share their faith, and right away, they [were caught] by the security there.” Riadh Jabballah with Voice of the Martyrs Canada says.
Libya’s constitution guarantees religious freedom to non-Muslims. However, it also defines Islam as the state religion. There are no anti-conversion laws per se, but the Constitution’s loose wording provides space for persecution. More about that here.
“Libya is a fully Islamic country,” Jabballah says.
“Libyan Christians are particularly vulnerable to persecution, especially those from a Muslim background.”
The six Libyan Christians are still waiting for a court date. “We don’t know exactly what [will] happen to them. Maybe they’ll kill them; nobody knows, so we pray for them,” Jabballah says….