Aug 30 2009

Rescuing Rivqa

Category: Uncategorizedharmonicminer @ 10:14 pm

Here is an article in Huffington Post by what I can only describe as an apologist for Islam who claims that a young lady named Rifqa is in no danger from her father for committing the crime of apostasy. He makes this argument on the ground that “honor killing” is not mentioned in the Koran, and that her father is obviously not a fundamentalist anyway, based on the freedoms he has already allowed his daughter to exercise.

Mohamed Bary allowed his daughter to become a cheerleader and says she can practice any faith she wants — clearly, he is not a fundamentalist.

He is a concerned father who believes his daughter was brainwashed and kidnapped. Let’s see how this story unfolds.

Here is an article that replies to the the one just mentioned, and also refers to a couple of others that do the same. The central point is that the author of the article listed above is deliberately muddying the water.

Is the death penalty for apostasy in the Qur’an? Yes it is, sweet little Rifqa

And of course al-Marayati focuses narrowly on Rifqa’s statement about the Qur’an. He never mentions, although he surely must know, that Muhammad said “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him,” and that this statement in the Hadith (in which it appears several times) became the foundation for the unanimous verdict of all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence: the apostate must be killed.

That he does not mention this key point is just one indication that as a witness to Islamic teaching on this (and other) matters, Salam al-Marayati is not to be trusted.

I encourage you to read both posts linked above.  In my judgment, it’s an example of half-truths and distortions on the part of an Islamic apologist, exposed by someone who really knows the texts and their historic interpretation.

In the meantime: even if it isn’t “honor killing” but is instead merely the Koranic penalty for apostasy, Rivqa would be just as dead, whether she was killed by a male relative, or her father himself.  Here is what I would find really convincing: maybe if the writer of the first article above signed a contract saying that if Rivka is murdered by a family member (or anyone else), then he will sell all of his possessions, give the money to the poor, and volunteer to go on TV and talk radio to expose Islam’s death penalty for apostasy.

If he really believes Rivqa is safe at “home,” there should be no risk, correct?

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