A very good sign, I'd say. The board and members of the Islamic Center of Johnstown, PA has asked Imam Fouad ElBayly to resign, after he said that a death sentence was warranted for Ayaan Hirsi Ali for her apostasy (blogged about earlier here). I believe the Center heard from many folks about that, including many Muslims.
Hirsi Ali herself said that “This imam has been strikingly honest.” Sheik Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, considered one of the highest authorities of Islamic law, is fully supportive of the death penalty for apostasy.
I have to note that Orthodox Jews routinely state that Jews are hayevei mitah (a Hebrew phrase meaning "liable to death or execution") upon conversion from Judaism.
ElBayly was not clever enough to make his comment in Arabic.
Although there are some famous recent cases where Jews kill Jews that convert to other religions (or introduce minor reforms to Jewish practice), most of the time no one actually carries out such death sentences under the assumption that God will deal with the sin of apostacy.
Posted by: Joachim Martillo | May 10, 2007 at 07:00 PM
I don't know if what you say is true or not. But I don't remember hearing about any Jews who were arrested, imprisoned or killed for apostasy, as has happened recently Afghanistan, Egypt, Malaysia, Iran, Kuwait, Sudan, Pakistan, etc.
"ElBayly was not clever enough to make his comment in Arabic." Rich!
Posted by: miss kelly | May 10, 2007 at 10:21 PM
Jonestown? Think you mean Johnstown.
Posted by: Ron Newman | May 11, 2007 at 12:49 PM
C'est ça, merci.
Posted by: miss kelly | May 11, 2007 at 01:20 PM