Legal Commentary

Maldives: ?Islamic Foundation Calls for Death Sentence if Apostate Fails to Repent?

By Eugene Volokh

From Minivan News, a Maldivian site:

The Islamic Foundation has called for self-declared apostate Mohamed Nazim to be stripped of his citizenship and sentenced to death if he does not repent and return to Islam.

Nazim claimed he was ?Maldivian and not a Muslim? during a public question-and-answer session with Islamic speaker Dr Zakir Naik, the first time a Maldivian has publicly announced he is not a Muslim.

According to the Maldivian constitution all citizens are required to be Muslim, and the country is always described as a ?100 percent? Muslim country....

Today the Islamic Foundation of the Maldives issued a press statement calling on judges to give Nazim the opportunity to repent ?and if he does not, then sentence him to death as Islamic law and Maldivian law agree.?

?The Islamic Foundation believes that the person who announces apostasy should be punished according to Islamic laws,? the NGO said, warning that Nazim represented ?a disturbance to the religious views and the religious bonds that exist with Maldivians.?

?Hereby if this man does not do his penance and come back to the Islamic religion, the Islamic Foundation of the Maldives calls to take the citizenship away from this man as mentioned in the Maldivian constitution.? ...

Putting the Mal? into Maldives, consistently with the 14-year-sentence for the two gay men in Malawi (now fortunately pardoned). Thanks to Prof. Howard Friedman (Religion Clause) for the pointer.

Full post as published by The Volokh Conspiracy on May 31, 2010 (boomark / email).