The Truth about the Alleged Punishment for Apostasy in Islam — Page 7
7 is necessary to define the two basic terms involved, i. e. , who is a "Muslim", and who is termed as an "apostate"—and how does one become an apostate? When I pondered over this matter, I was reminded of the proceedings of the Court of Inquiry that was instituted under Mr. Justice Mun i r and Mr. Justice Kiy a n i , to investigate the riots that broke out in Pakistan in 1953. These two learned judges conducted a profound investigation, and in this venture they invited the ulema from all the religious sects of Muslims—in fact, several ulema from every sect—and requested them for help in understanding these two issues, and asked them: How do you define Islam? Who is a Muslim? These learned judges set out a clear exposition of the fact that until and unless we are first able to define a "Muslim" the next step cannot be taken, and the issue of what may be the punishment of apostasy becomes pointless. It is only after the term "Muslim" is first defined that one can determine as to whether or not someone has, actually, recanted Islam. Thus, after a deep investigation and very detailed cross-examination, the learned judges reached the conclusion that is reproduced below in their own words: "The question, therefore, whether a person is or is not a Muslim will be of fundamental importance, and it was for this reason that we