Apostasy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy

Apostasy (play /əˈpɒstəsi/; Greek: ἀποστασία (apostasia), a defection or revolt, from ἀπό, apo, "away, apart", στάσις, stasis, "stand", "standing") is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person.

One who commits apostasy apostatizes and is an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday use. The term is used by sociologists to mean renunciation and criticism of, or opposition to, a person's former religion, in a technical sense and without pejorative connotation.

The term is sometimes also used by extension to refer to renunciation of a non-religious belief or cause, such as a political party, brain trust, or, facetiously, a sports team.

International law

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights, considers the recanting of a person's religion a human right legally protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:

The Committee observes that the freedom to 'have or to adopt' a religion or belief necessarily entails the freedom to choose a religion or belief, including the right to replace one's current religion or belief with another or to adopt atheistic views [...] Article 18.2[6] bars coercion that would impair the right to have or adopt a religion or belief, including the use of threat of physical force or penal sanctions to compel believers or non-believers to adhere to their religious beliefs and congregations, to recant their religion or belief or to convert.[7]

In many countries apostasy from the religion supported by the state is explicitly forbidden. This is largely the case in some states where Islam is the state religion; conversion to Islam is encouraged, conversion from Islam penalised.

* Iran – illegal (death penalty)[8][9][10]
* Egypt – illegal (death penalty)[10]
* Pakistan – illegal (death penalty[10] since 2007)
* United Arab Emirates – illegal (death penalty)[11]
* Somalia – illegal (death penalty)[12]
* Afghanistan – illegal (death penalty, although the U.S. and other coalition members have put pressure that has prevented recent executions[13][14])
* Saudi Arabia – illegal (death penalty, although there have been no recently reported executions)[15][10]
* Sudan – illegal (death penalty, although there have only been recent reports of torture, and not of execution[16])
* Qatar – illegal (death penalty)[17]
* Yemen – illegal (death penalty) [17]
* Malaysia – illegal in five of 13 states (fine, imprisonment, and flogging)[18][19]
* Mauritania – illegal (death penalty)[citation needed]
* Nigeria – illegal in twelve of 37 states (death penalty)[citation needed]
* Syria – possibly illegal (death penalty) although there is evidence to the contrary[20]

But there are countries where it is different:

* Canada – legal (protected under Section Two of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms)
* Netherlands – legal (protected under Article Six of the Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
* United States – legal (protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution)(No official state religion recognised).
* India – legal. The Constitution of India allows freedom of religion. In some provinces, including Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, there are laws forbidding conversion in response to the methods used by some sects and religions for mass conversion, and the social tensions caused by conversion under these circumstances.[21]
* Philippines – legal (protected under Article III, Section 5 of the Philippine Constitution)
* Brazil – legal
* Indonesia – legal (protected by the Constitution (UUD 1945, KUHP, Garuda Pancasila) [22]