Video: Muslim Scholars Debate Changing Religion

Tue, Dec 4, 2007 at 1:51:48 pm PST

From Kuwait’s Al-Risala TV, November 5, 2007, here’s a sort of town hall meeting in which Muslim scholars and audience members discuss the fine points and religious justifications for killing people who decide to convert away from Islam. The audience is scarier than the “scholars” in this one. (Courtesy of MEMRI TV.)

Al-Sweidan: Before the break, I asked our audience for their views on this important issue. Does a Muslim have the liberty or the right to change his religion? The results are as follows: 24% said: “Yes, he has the right to change his religion.” 76% of the people said: “No.” Let’s hear some opinions and then I will return to our guests.

[...]

Audience member: Sir, if you become an apostate, your punishment is death. There is a great problem that most of us, 70% of us, are Muslims because they were born to Muslim fathers and mothers. Before a person converts to Islam, he has the liberty to choose, but remember that if you want to convert from Islam, you will be punished by death. So you have the liberty to choose, but on the condition...

Al-Sweidan: That’s not liberty.

Audience member: It has conditions...

Al-Sweidan: What you are saying is: You have the right to become an apostate, but I will kill you.

Audience member: That’s right. I won’t tell him not to.

Al-Sweidan: What can be worse than being killed?

Audience member: That’s why he will not become an apostate.