# Afghanistan: death penalty for atheism? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 11, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741 "2012-12-11T20:18:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/1 "2012-12-11T20:18:53Z")
See this article: [‘Like lesser Americans’: Atheists face discrimination, persecution, report says](http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/10/15814394-like-lesser-americans-atheists-face-discrimination-persecution-report-says?lite) in which I read the following: > [@NBC News](#): > > According to its survey of some 60 countries, the seven where expression of atheist views or defection from the official religion can bring capital punishment are Afghanistan, Iran, Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. Afghanistan. Interesting. Can someone confirm whether Afghanistan has, as part of its formal legal code, a prohibition against atheism that invokes a state-sponsored execution for violators? Or is it merely the case that publicly declaring your atheism in front of the wrong Afghans is likely to get you killed by some random fellow who doesn’t care for your heathen ways? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/2 "2012-12-11T20:23:06Z")
If you were a Muslim first then became an atheist you’d definitely be in big trouble, as [apostates face the death penalty.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy_in_Islam#Islamic_Republic_of_Afghanistan) ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/3 "2012-12-11T20:29:36Z")
In theory, yes, although I don’t know of any cases where the sentence was actually carried out. IIRC, the issue isn’t so much being an atheist, as converting away from Islam. There was the case of [Abdul Rehman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Rahman_(convert)) in [2006](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/mar/20/afghanistan.islam), who converted to Christianity. He was arrested the threatened with the death penalty, but eventually released under pressure from foreign governments, and given asylum in Italy. From [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy_in_Islam) wiki article (bolding mine): > [@](#): > > The Qur’an itself does not prescribe any earthly punishment for apostasy; Islamic scholarship differs on its punishment, ranging from **execution** – based on an interpretation of certain hadiths – to **no punishment at all** as long as they “do not work against the Muslim society or nation.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/4 "2012-12-11T20:46:43Z")
True, but I get the feeling that they’d be more lenient with another religion (People of the Book) than flat-out atheism; I sure wouldn’t want to put it to the test. [This](http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/index.php?page=showfatwa&Option=FatwaId&Id=104658) Islamic site says that atheism is worse that polytheism, at the very least. If would probably depend on how vocal you were about it, as to whether you would be considered to be working against Islam ---
**Author:** ![solosam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@solosam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solosam)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/5 "2012-12-12T00:37:25Z")
A religion that needs to execute people who renounce it obviously has a credibility problem. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/6 "2012-12-12T02:15:55Z")
> [@solosam](#): > > A religion that needs to execute people who renounce it obviously has a credibility problem. All religions have credibility problems, as in having none at all. However, Christianity and Islam are both focused on expanding as much as possible and destroying all rivals; “leaving = death” makes sense for that, just as the Iron Curtain & Berlin Wall made sense from the USSR’s point of view. If you want as many people as possible under your control, threatening those who leave with death makes sense from an amoral perspective. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/7 "2012-12-12T02:19:49Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > See this article: > > [‘Like lesser Americans’: Atheists face discrimination, persecution, report says](http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/10/15814394-like-lesser-americans-atheists-face-discrimination-persecution-report-says?lite) > > in which I read the following: > > Afghanistan. Interesting. Can someone confirm whether Afghanistan has, as part of its formal legal code, a prohibition against atheism that invokes a state-sponsored execution for violators? Or is it merely the case that publicly declaring your atheism in front of the wrong Afghans is likely to get you killed by some random fellow who doesn’t care for your heathen ways? Well they got Pakistan wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/8 "2012-12-12T02:24:19Z")
> [@solosam](#): > > A religion that needs to execute people who renounce it obviously has a credibility problem. They have a much bigger problem than credibility. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/9 "2012-12-12T02:38:34Z")
Those seven countries mentioned: you’ll likely die of something else first. ---
**Author:** ![ed\_anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbce88/32.png) [@ed\_anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ed_anger)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/10 "2012-12-12T05:39:36Z")
> [@solosam](#): > > A religion that needs to execute people who renounce it obviously has a credibility problem. Christianity used to torture people, burn them at the stake, etc for what would be considered minor philosophical differences now. Eventually the rest of the world will catch up to our currently enlightened state. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/11 "2012-12-12T16:43:06Z")
> [@ed\_anger](#): > > Christianity used to torture people, burn them at the stake, etc for what would be considered minor philosophical differences now. Eventually the rest of the world will catch up to our currently enlightened state. In this context, I’d say historically Hinduism and Buddhism were more liberal and allowed more freedom on philosophical differences (They had and continue to have other problems though). So I would say Christianity has caught up in this tolerance - and to say that the rest of the world will catch up maybe incorrect since many were already there centuries back. ---
**Author:** ![ed\_anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbce88/32.png) [@ed\_anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ed_anger)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/12 "2012-12-12T17:12:43Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > In this context, I’d say historically Hinduism and Buddhism were more liberal and allowed more freedom on philosophical differences sure, but the discussion wasn’t about Hinduism or Buddhism, was it? I was trying to not say Islam as the bogeyman, I suppose it could be clarified by saying fundamental Islam. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/13 "2012-12-16T19:32:34Z")
> [@ed\_anger](#): > > sure, but the discussion wasn’t about Hinduism or Buddhism, was it? The OP did not talk about Christianity, did he ? > [@ed\_anger](#): > > Christianity used to torture people, burn them at the stake, etc for what would be considered minor philosophical differences now. Eventually\*\* the rest of the world\*\* will catch up to \*\*our \*\*currently enlightened state. (Emphasis mine) What or who are “\*\* the rest of the world\*\*” and who is “\*\*our \*\*” ? ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/14 "2013-01-02T05:33:00Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Well they got Pakistan wrong. Are there laws in Pakistan regarding apostasy? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afghanistan-death-penalty-for-atheism/643741/15 "2013-01-02T05:44:00Z")
I’ve been to several Muslim countries and every guide book I read before going would assure the reader that you can safely profess your faith in casual conversation be you Jew, or Christian, or Hindu, or follower of the Great Three-Headed Sharkopus. But by no means, whatsoever, admit to having no belief at all.