Apostasy : An Overview - The Maranatha Community

7.4 When examining the combined effect of the 1948 Universal Declaration, the 1966
Covenant, and the 1981 Declaration, the expert on international law, Elizabeth Odio Benito,
concluded:
“Although they are varied slightly in wording, all mean precisely the same thing: that everyone has the right to
leave one religion or belief and to adopt another or to remain without any at all. This meaning is implicit in
the concept of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, regardless of how that concept is
presented.” 22
In this context it is a matter of concern that many Islamic scholars do not seem to recognise
a conflict between Sharia law regarding apostasy and generally accepted international
human rights standards.
Professor Ann Mayer, a professor of law has examined a number of Islamic authorities on
this subject. She comes to a startling conclusion:
“The failure of [every] single one of these Islamic human rights schemes to take a position against the
application of the sharia death penalty for apostasy means that the authors of these schemes have neglected to
confront and resolve the main issues involved in harmonising international human rights and sharia
standards. The authors’ unwillingness to repudiate the rule that a person should be executed over a question
of religious belief reveals the enormous gap that exists between their mentalities and the modern philosophy of
human rights.” 23
For a more detailed legal analysis of international law in relation to apostasy and freedom to
change one’s religion see Appendix 4.
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