{"product_id":"no-compulsion-in-religion-no-exceptions","title":"No Compulsion in Religion—No Exceptions: Islamic Arguments for Religious Freedom","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e20% New Release Discount Applied Automatically at Checkout\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMost Muslims today are familiar with that remarkable Qur’anic statement: “There is no compulsion in religion…” (2:256). This verse, in a few words, seems to present an amazingly ancient precedent to a modern liberal value: that religion must be based on freedom, not coercion.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHowever, traditional Islamic legal sources also include various measures of religious coercion. Apostates and blasphemers are sentenced to the death penalty, and “religious police” forces are called to enforce piety. Moreover, some self-defined “Islamic” regimes of today, such as the Taliban, enforce these verdicts rigidly, shocking the conscience of many people, including many Muslims. So, is there really no compulsion in Islam? Or are there serious exceptions to that Qur’anic maxim, as some authorities explicitly argue?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis book, edited by Cato Institute Senior Fellow \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cato.org\/people\/mustafa-akyol\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMustafa Akyol\u003c\/a\u003e, brings together a team of Muslim scholars to address this important question. By highlighting insights from Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic jurisprudence, Muslim history, and contemporary trends in the Muslim world, they make the case for full-fledged religious freedom. They argue that the Qur’anic maxim, “No compulsion in religion,” should be better embraced wholeheartedly, with no exceptions.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eASMA AFSARUDDIN, Herman B. Wells Endowed Professor of Islamic Studies, Indiana University\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMUSTAFA AKYOL, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHUSNUL AMIN, Director, National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eABDULLAHI AHMED AN-NAIM, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law Emeritus, Emory University\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMOHAMED LAMALLAM, Assistant Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Zaytuna College\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMUHAMMAD KHALID MASUD, Ad Hoc Member, Shariat Appellate Bench, Supreme Court of Pakistan\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMOHAMAD MACHINE-CHIAN, Senior Researcher, Center for Governance and Markets, University of Pittsburgh\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eABDULLAH SAEED, Sultan of Oman Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Melbourne\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"block__title d-flex mb-4 meta meta--large p-mb-last-child-0\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePRAISE FOR THE BOOK\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“This remarkable collection of articles by some of the most distinguished scholars of Islam today is highly prescient. … It is difficult to imagine a more compellingly relevant and timely book, which deserves a very wide readership not only in the West but all over the world.”\u003cbr\u003e—KHALED ABOU EL FADL, Distinguished Professor of Islamic Law, UCLA, and author of \u003cem\u003eReasoning with God\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Search for Beauty in Islam\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“This volume, composed of essays by the best-known and most-respected scholars of Islamic law and thought as pertains to religious freedom, pulls no punches and tackles straight on the toughest areas: apostasy, blasphemy, coerced ritual observance, and gender freedom. … An absolute must-read.”\u003cbr\u003e—ANDREW F. MARCH, Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and author of \u003cem\u003eIslam and Liberal Citizenship and The Caliphate of Man\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Makes a compelling case for liberty rooted in Islam’s own principles. Timely and powerful.”\u003cbr\u003e—AHMET T. KURU, Professor of Political Science, San Diego State University, and author of \u003cem\u003eIslam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Challenges rigid and totalitarian interpretations that reduce faith to coercion.”\u003cbr\u003e—MIRWAIS BALKHI, Former Afghan Minister of Education and author of \u003cem\u003eAfghanistan and the Region\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"cato-institute","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43481877577764,"sku":"978-1964524948","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0088\/3458\/0516\/files\/Akyol_NoCompulsion_Cover_111225.jpg?v=1770650115","url":"https:\/\/store.cato.org\/products\/no-compulsion-in-religion-no-exceptions","provider":"Cato Institute","version":"1.0","type":"link"}