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356chapter sixApostasy from al-isl§mWe defined the lower and nonnegotiable limit of al-isl§m as a commitmentto believe in God, the Last Day, and the good deeds, implementingthe moral ideals of ethical perfection that were first laid outby Noah and accomplished by MuÈammad (ß). Al-isl§m is the (only)religion of humans’ natural disposition that Allah has authorised forhumankind. It is the religion that does not allow the increase in thenumber of absolute taboos, but allows new permissions and prohibitionsaccording to what human societies, parliaments, and civil lawcourts see fit to introduce. It is the religion that most people in thisworld adhere to at the moment. And yet, apostasy from al-isl§moccurs, namely on three levels:A. The level of religious doctrine:Apostasy here means to cut oneself off from Allah by disbelievingin His existence and the Day of Judgement. Apostasy heremeans heresy, and this includes withdrawing from a monotheisticbelief (‘there is no god but God’) and adopting a polytheisticbelief—here, the second shah§da (‘MuÈammad is God’smessenger’) does not matter at all. As for religious doctrines, aperson enjoys absolute freedom. He can freely decide betweenal-isl§m and heresy. No one should ever force a person to adopta specific belief (or disbelief ), because the religious belief of aperson does not touch, as such, the social collective, and everyoneshould be free to voice his beliefs in public.B. The level of social and ethical practice:Apostasy here means to renounce the Good Work and ignorethe prescriptions of morality. To transgress the basics of morallaw would mean to live a life of flagrant immorality: disrespectof parents, open vandalism, truancy, indecencies, and publiccalls for more corruption, bribery, exploitation, slander, anddefamation. If such a person apostatises from morality, it is theduty of everyone—regardless of their religious affiliation—torestrain him. The fight against immorality all over the world isthe realm where Muslim-Believers should work hand in handwith the rest of humankind. Unlike the first level of religiousdoctrine, it is clear that apostasy from morality—and thisincludes from human rights—cannot be tolerated since al-isl§morganises the social relations between the different sections of