New interpretation of apostasy needed for modern times, says Muslim scholar

Lee Shi-Ian, The Malaysian Insider

A leading Muslim scholar has argued that contemporary Muslims needed to come up with a new interpretation of apostasy to reflect freedom of religion and human rights.

Professor Dr Nader Hashemi said for the mainstream interpretation of Islam, apostasy was considered to be a severe offence and punishable by death.

“Muslims think that only one interpretation of apostasy is allowed but they fail to take certain factors into consideration, including freedom of religion,” he said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Nader is the director of the Centre for Middle East Studies and associate professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, both at the University of Denver.

“When apostasy was first written in the Quran and Hadith, the Muslim community was very small and still growing,” Nader explained.

“Therefore, when an Islamic believer left the religion or embraced another religion, the apostate was punished with the death penalty,” he said, at the Symposium on Islam, Democracy and Secularism.

However, as the world has changed and Islam has grown progressively over the centuries, Nader said it is time for contemporary Islamic scholars to embrace new interpretations.

He argued that Islamic scholars needed to adapt to changing times and re-interpret the Quran and Hadith instead of blindly following the teachings of ancient times.

“Islam is perceived by many to be medieval and barbaric and especially antagonistic to human rights, because the interpretations have not changed with time.

“There should be freedom of religion in Islam, as the Prophet himself advocated, and this should be promoted on a mass level, especially in Malaysia.”

Nader acknowledged that it was inevitable there would be fears among the Muslim faithful that the entire structure of the faith might be crushed in the re-interpretation.

“It is quite a feat to balance the integrity of the Islamic faith and to help the religion embrace democracy and human rights at the same time,” he said.

“The new interpretations of Islam should be reconciled with human rights and democracy, and focus on moral and ethical values.”

Nader said there were a lot of political forces and movements who were firmly against any re-interpretation of Islam, preferring to continue with the old ways.

“These political forces are also advancing their own personal interests above that of Islam and the faithful. They prefer to maintain their grip on power.”

Nader said there was a senior cleric in Iran who condemned the death sentence for apostates, saying the idea was completely unsustainable morally.

“This is a long-term project which can only be carried out through debates between Muslim scholars and clerics. There must be support for the new voices in the world of Islam.”

Nader acknowledged that freedom of religion was always something which was easier said than done but insisted that change had to start somewhere.

“People have already formed strong attachments to their own interpretation of Islam. Trying to shift these beliefs is like trying to shift the Titanic.

“It looks nigh impossible in the beginning but bit by bit, it can be done through patience and understanding,” Nader said.