Posted on 04/23/2009 2:15:38 PM PDT by Cindy
Remarks on apostasy and capital punishment under Islamic law by Harvard’s Muslim chaplain have become the center of a heated debate about whether Islamic and Western values can be compatible.
In an e-mail to an unnamed student, the chaplain, Taha Abdul-Basser, stated that most traditional authorities on Islamic law agree that in countries under Muslim governance, the proper punishment for apostasy — that is, rejection of Islam by a former Muslim — is death. The e-mail was subsequently published online, and although Abdul-Basser has distanced himself personally from that position, the remarks have stirred a flurry of controversy and debate.
Abdul-Basser’s e-mail was circulated through an e-mail list and subsequently posted April 3 on the blog Talk Islam, from which it was picked up by several other blogs. On April 14, The Harvard Crimson, a student-run daily, published an article about the controversy. One week later, on April 21, it remained the paper’s most viewed, most commented-upon article online.
The issue being debated is anything but academic: Apostasy is outlawed in a number of Muslim countries, including Afghanistan, Malaysia, Iran and Algeria. In 2006, an Afghan named Abdul Rahman faced trial, with a potential sentence of death, for converting to Christianity, before being granted asylum in Italy. The issue has attracted a great deal of attention from such international human rights groups as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
In his original e-mail, Abdul-Basser appeared to put himself at odds with the international human rights community, which includes a number of luminaries who teach at Harvard. After a lengthy discussion of the positions of various Muslim autorities, he concluded by writing that “there is great wisdom (hikma) associated with the established and preserved position (capital punishment), and so, even if it makes some uncomfortable in the face of the hegemonic modern human rights discourse, one should not dismiss it out of hand.”
In a subsequent statement sent to the Forward, however, Abdul-Basser said that he was simply explaining to a student the traditional position of Islamic legal scholars, not advocating their viewpoint.
Click on the link to read the complete text.
They seek our destruction and have wormed themselves into some of the most venerable institutions of our society.
Inshallah.
I knew that you could.
Link to the original article:
http://www.forward.com/articles/105042/
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Hat Tip to this article: THE JAWA REPORT
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/197399.php
Funny how the Dhimmi Liberals howl about eliminating capital punishment in Western society but are so starkly silent about it in these 3rd-world cesspool Islamic countries.
Don’t you think that Homeland Security, busy spying on returning veterans should request the Secret Service to visit this Imam (’chaplain’) for potentially advocating the assasination of the President? Fair is fair, no?
I hope you don't mean Harvard...it fell from it's lofty pedestal decades ago.
I think he means the White House...
I don’t get what the big deal is. Everyone knows that Islam views apostasy this way. It is certainly not news (as unpleasant as it may be).
Actually, infidels are treated better than apostates (like Obama). Islam’s greatest penalty is against those who reject the faith. It would be interesting to see if this “ultimate solution” is tempered somewhat when Islam is rejected early in ones life. I would be interested to engage in a dialog regarding what the remedy is when a minor converts from Islam. Mercy is a virtue in all religions, though it is not practiced nearly enough in one of them.
This academic was merely stating things the way they are. I suspect he will get a pass, since his faith seems to have special privileges within our society. I would certainly not penalize him.
In a word: No.
No modestly informed person would even ask that question. Well, maybe the politically correct will waste time asking, but Islam and Western values are about as compatible as capitalism and communism.
The more Westerners who pretend and mince words about that, the more danger Western nations bring upon themselves.
Muslims lie.
Taqiyya - Refers to permissible lying in Islam. Taqiyya is generally allowable if it is done for the purpose of masking a Muslim's identity as such, or in waging conflict with an enemy. The aim is to mislead the enemy about the true nature, goals, or strength of Islam.
See tagline.
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