"Harry Dope" <Pres.McCain'08@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
news:482c900b$0$5740$4c368faf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Apostasy Punishable By Death: Top Adhaalath Scholar
> By Judith Evans in Malé
> May 13, 2008
>
> The leader of the religious Adhaalath party scholars' council has said
> he advocates the death penalty for those who convert from Islam to
> another religion, as well as amputation of hands for certain types of
> theft.
>
> In an interview with Minivan News, Sheikh Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari
> emphasised the need for "advice" and correct legal procedures before
> the death penalty is implemented, but said Shari'ah law ultimately
> requires the killing of those who leave Islam.
>
> Majeed was also a member of the government's Supreme Council of
> Islamic Affairs until he resigned at the start of May under the Civil
> Service Act, which forbids civil servants to engage in political
> activity.
>
> His statement follows a media furore over a book co-authored by
> presidential candidate Dr Hassan Saeed, Freedom Of Religion, Apostasy
> And Islam, which Umar Naseer of the Islamic Democratic Party has
> condemned as favouring freedom of religion.
>
> Punishments
>
> Apostates - those who leave the Islamic religion - "must not be
> punished by the public," Majeed said, and must initially be offered
> "advice, and the op****tunity to come back to Islam again".
>
> If the individual concerned fails to return to Islam, he said,
> "correct legal procedures" must then be followed.
>
> And he emphasises the scholarly debate over punishments for apostasy -
> also citing the example of the Prophet's life, during which no
> apostates were punished with death. But, Majeed adds, this was
> arguably because converts to different religions fled to other areas.
>
> Majeed also cites Surah 2, verse 256 of the Qur'an, which states that
> "there is no compulsion in religion." And he highlights the issue of
> munafiq - those who pretend to have faith, but do not - who must in
> practice be treated as Muslims.
>
> But despite this, he says, apostasy is one of three offences that must
> be punished by death, along with adultery (by those already married)
> and murder.
>
> Law
>
> Asked whether Maldivian law is currently in keeping with Shari'ah,
> Majeed is definite: it is not.
>
> As an example, he cites the crime of theft. Under the current
> legislative system, he says, burglary, mugging - theft with an element
> of direct threat - and stealing via fraud are all similarly
> classified.
>
> But "in Islamic Shari'ah, they are three different things," he says.
> The punishment for theft, in the sense of burglary - where the victim
> of the theft is not present - must be "cutting the hand", though
> certain other conditions also apply.
>
> For instance, the stolen object must be "valuable". And theft made
> necessary by the thief's "hunger" is exempt.
>
> "Conflicts in society" result from the current legal system, he
> believes. "There would be peace if the country was practising Islamic
> Shari'ah."
>
> But problems also result from a "lack of implementation" of current
> law, he says, citing the much-criticised issue of fugitive criminals.
> "A man is sent to jail, and the next day you see him on the street."
>
> Adhaalath
>
> Majeed is not speaking on behalf of the Adhaalath party, he
> emphasises, though he heads its religious scholars' council. Party
> questions are referred to spokesman Ahmed Shaheem Ali Said.
>
> The Adhaalath party's manifesto contains only a brief section about
> religion, which includes the provision that scholars must be able to
> "present their religious views freely", and a Supreme Council of
> Islamic Affairs that is "protected by law".
>
> It also mandates a specific organisation to rule on halal (lawful) and
> haram (unlawful) activities.
>
> And it specifies no non-Muslim should be allowed to have Maldivian
> citizen****p, with Majeed adding he sup****ts a tightening of
> regulations in the constitution in progress, which will see those who
> leave the faith losing their citizen****p.
>
> The party has six thousand members, but according to Shaheem, claims
> the sup****t of at least 15,000 Maldivians. It is well-known for its
> strong religious platform.
>
>
More bull**** Hot Air, Dopey?
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