An Iranian bill that would punish apostasy with death has drawn the condemnation of a U.S. religious freedom body, which calls on the United States and other governments to quickly speak out against the proposed law ahead of its soon expected final approval by Iran’s parliament.
“The new penal code provision prescribing the death penalty for the so-called crime of apostasy and other crimes is a huge step backwards for human rights,” criticized U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom chair Felice D. Gaer.
In her statement, she refuted Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s charge that foreign criticism of the penal code is “global arrogance,” and denounced religious freedom in Iran as a “chimera.”
Under the proposed law – which is expected to be approved by the parliament – many religious minority communities could be subjected to death sentences, the religious freedom expert emphasized.
Christians, Baha’is, and even some Muslims would be vulnerable to arbitrary arrest and imprisonment.
If the law passes, two Christians from Muslim backgrounds who are currently in prison for apostasy - Mahmoud Mohammad Matin-Azad and Arash Ahmad-Ali Basirat - could be given the death sentence.
“Iran’s human rights record is abysmal, and the soon-to-be codified call for the death penalty for apostasy underlines the danger that the intolerance of the Iranian regime poses to its own people,” Gaer said.
The Iranian government’s recent move could result in the country’s first legal penal code that calls for death for the crime of apostasy, or leaving one’s faith.
Currently, the bill is in the Legislative Commission for debate on proposed amendments and then will return to the Parliament for another vote.
USCIRF has recommended that Iran be included on the State Department’s list of “countries of particular concern” – the blacklist for religious freedom violators – citing the government’s “egregious and systematic violations of religious freedom and other human rights.”
It has also called for the release of all religious prisoners and an end to the government’s systematic discrimination of religious minorities.
Next week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to visit New York for a United Nations meeting. A group of religious leaders – including from the Mennonite Central Committee, World Council of Churches, the Quaker group American Friends Service Committee, and the Episcopal Church - has invited the controversial leader to dinner.
Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, criticized the planned dinner with the Ahmadinejad.
“In the past, these church leaders have said nothing about the religious freedom of Christians and other religious minorities in Iran,” Tooley commented. “Indeed, there has been no professed concern about human rights in Iran.
“IRD challenges the leaders to speak up for religious freedom of Iranian Christians and for all people in Iran, since the Iranians themselves are not free to speak plainly."
Members of these church groups had visited Iran in February of 2007, and held a similar event with the National Council of Churches in September 2007 also in New York.
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prophet "I still can't figure out why people still want to be a muslim?"
perhaps for similar reasons muslims dont understand why christians want to be christians.....they, like you, believe their religion to be superior...
Thank you very much and have a nice day, prophet.
God bless you and your family.
aritonang,
That was a sarcastic question that really didn't need an answer. I already knew the answer. Sorry if you didn't pick up on that.
It is good that some Christian bodies are starting to pressurize the Iranians to stop this apostasy death penalty bill.
brother prophet,
Because they live in a oppressed condition.
Forced islamization happens in a very different living condition than in what Americans perceived as normal democratic and free society.
It's not a multiple choice which they can freely decide.
If you are raised in Christian families then yes, you can continue to worship our Lord as you pleased.
But if you are raised as Muslim but decided to leave Islam (murtad) then according to Quran and Hadith, if anybody beheads the murtad (converts to other faith) then that killer is considered a defender of Islam.
So, muslims response to apostasy is death. Christian's response to apostasy is pray for them and love them. I still can't figure out why people still want to be a muslim?
Oops, that should be: 5) They can't directly BLAME Bush
SqueakyWheel wrote:
"Where's the outrage from the ACLU, NOW, George Soros, Tim Gill, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Obama, & McCain?"
Pick your answer:
1) They're hypocrites
2) They're willfully and pleasantly ignorant
3) Because the policies of the US government have been and continue to be bought and sold by the highest bidder.
4) Christians are expendable, non-Christians are not
5) They can't directly balme Bush
6) Any combination of the above
7) All of the above
Groups such as the Viswa Hindu Parishad and BJP are allowed to have non profit status in the US. ofpbjp-usa.org, vhp-america.org, vhp.org.uk. At this mornings services many churches in India are at risk of being attacked by Hindu extremists.
Where's the outrage from the ACLU, NOW, George Soros, Tim Gill, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Obama, & McCain?
The Quran and the hadith both call for the death of those who have left their islamic faith; so, is it any shock that an islamic nation as Iran, with long record of brutality in the name of islam puts to death those they deem apostates? They see their purpose as a nation to destroy Israel, then it's not a surprise at all.