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March 26, 2006
Die-A-Tribe
Here's an interesting opinion:
Lawyer and independent researcher Salbiah Ahmad ... rejects the inference that those against the death penalty are un-Islamic.... there were apostates during the Prophet’s lifetime, [but] there was never any question of war or punishment against them.
"The 'war on apostates' arose after the death of the Prophet during the caliphate of Abu Bakar (632-634 AD).
A number of tribes outside Medina refused to give allegiance to Abu Bakar and refused to pay the zakat as token of their allegiance. They declared that they had abandoned Islam.
"The Quraysh tribe, to which Abu Bakar belonged, had long been known to have hegemonic ambitions. Death for apostasy is, therefore, not a religious rule, but a political rule in the service of authoritarian politics." [New Sunday Times]
I support the death penalty, but not for apostasy.
However, I think Abu Bakar made war on the tribes concerned because of their treason, rather than their apostasy.
Yes, many members of the Quraysh tribe could be said to have had hegemomic ambitions, but to accuse Abu Bakar -- the second person to embrace Islam after the Prophet's wife and later, the first Caliph -- of harbouring such tribal ambitions and waging an "un-Islamic" war in their pursuit is probably going too far.
After all, Muhammad was also of the Quraysh: Shall we accuse him of inventing a religion in pursuit of his tribe's hegemonic ambitions, Salbiah?
I don't think so.
Posted by aisehman at March 26, 2006 06:15 PM
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Comments
Hey,why do these people want to play God ?
Isn't religion a matter between an individual and God ?
Even the old fat 'Meaty ' Minister said this when asked why she is not wearing headscarf.
Posted by: Free & Fair at March 27, 2006 12:53 AM
careful with your words , salbiah ....classical example of minds over divine...
"Isn't religion a matter between an individual and God ?"
But i think muslim are more than that...if im old fat 'Meaty ' Minister, ppl ask me why not wearing scarf , ill say thank you ,, ill try ...and the ppl who ask me shouldnt get so mad at me . He/she was relieved as a muslim to give advice to other muslim. But hey ,,sometime ego is over mind and over divine ... :)
Posted by: Dr Y at March 27, 2006 09:32 AM
when will a solution be found, ever?
now that they have circumvent it by declaring him insane! this is because of international pressure, but what happens when there isn't any news about the thousands of anonymous converts who will or have been murdered? papering over the huge ugly chasm!
Posted by: Y1 at March 27, 2006 10:14 AM
maybe muslims are just psychologically paralysed. They see the glories of past Muslim empires and wonder what those muslims did to achieve that success.
How to emulate that and still be reconciled with Islam's injunctions and practices? Still an unanswered question to this day.
Posted by: asri at March 27, 2006 11:42 AM
What makes you think its about being Islamic? I see on one side we talk of racial polarization and on the other side, stupid cultural practices. Deja vu Quraysh.
So they want a Royal Malay Police? We'll see how they handle the Indian and Chinese gangsters themselves.
Posted by: Razmataz at March 28, 2006 09:24 AM