Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Death As The Penalty For Leaving Islam- A Pakistan/Saudi Story

 A teenager from a tiny religious minority village in almost all Muslim Pakistan allegedly ran away from home, and at a neighboring Muslim village, converted to Islam. Some believe she was forced to convert, but let us assume it was voluntary. After she converted, she was not allowed to return home, despite her mother's heartbroken wishes. A fight ensued between the people from the two villages. The people from the minority religion village had to relent, otherwise they would have ended up crushed. The girl was not allowed to return home, even if that is what she wished. Because in fundamentalist Islam, as that practiced by many in Pakistan, and as propagated by Saudi Arabia, which has done everything it can to turn Pakistan(and other countries) into bastions of intolerance and bigotry, once a person becomes Muslim, the penalty is death if that person should ever decide to leave the religion. So the teenager, only 15, is now trapped, separated from her family and village, whether this was forced or by her own design. But even if she chose this, a fifteen year old should not be held responsible for something irrevocable and with death as a consequence for a change of heart. No religion should have death as a penalty for leaving the religion. That should be a basic human right.

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