The Forlorn: Apostates in Islam

2007 Vol. 3: May/June

Behind the veil, beneath the constricting cloak covering Islam, exists a muted minority that dares not show itself or allow its utterances to be heard. Declared members face death, ostracism and wrenching loss. Exposure costs all, bringing with it the burden of isolation; anguished individuals carom from shame to death’s edge to clandestine flight, grateful to find solace in a world of pseudonyms and assumed identity. In Islam, this is a world of incalculable risk, with exposure tapping the vein of Islamic sharia law. In Islam, this is the domain of the muted minority, the forlorn and abandoned. This is the domain of apostasy.