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Apostasy in Islam facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Apostasy in Islam is when a person who follows the religion of Islam decides to leave it or change to another religion. This act of leaving one's religion is called apostasy.

In Islamic teachings, certain conditions usually apply to someone who is considered to have committed apostasy:

  • The person must be an adult. These rules usually do not apply to children.
  • The person must be sane. People who are Insane cannot make important decisions.
  • The person must change their religion because they truly want to. If someone is forced to change their religion, it is not considered apostasy.

Most branches of Sunni Islam and the Twelvers Shi'a schools of thought believe that apostasy is a sin. There are different ideas about how serious apostasy is. Some Islamic scholars believe that the Qur'an, which is the holy book of Islam, does not mention a punishment for apostasy in this world. However, some interpretations of Sharia (Islamic law) have suggested that the punishment for apostasy could be very severe.

Some Islamic legal experts have said that changing religion should not be punished, or only punished in very specific situations. Also, some groups within Islam, like the Shi'a Ismaili, completely disagree with the idea of harsh punishments for apostasy.

Famous Cases

Sometimes, people who are accused of apostasy become well-known. Here are a few examples:

Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie is an author. In 1989, the ruler of Iran at the time, Ayatollah Khomeini, said that Rushdie should be punished because of his book, The Satanic Verses. Some people found the book to be disrespectful to Islam.

Abdul Rahman

Abdul Rahman was a man from Afghanistan. In 2006, he changed his religion from Islam to Christianity. He was arrested and put in jail for leaving Islam. Later, he was released because officials said he was 'insane'.

Images for kids

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    Execution of a Moroccan Jewess (Sol Hachuel) a painting by Alfred Dehodencq

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    Roderick is venerated in Christianity as one of the Martyrs of Córdoba

  • Kharput Greek-Orthodox refugees - C.D.Morris - National Geographic, Nov. 1925

    Greek Christians in 1922, fleeing their homes from Kharput to Trebizond. In the 1910s and 1920s the Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian genocides were perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Apostasía en el islam para niños

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