Abdullah Saeed, University of Melbourne, Australia and Hassan Saeed, President of the Maldivian National Party, The Maldives

• Contents: Introduction, Abdullah Saeed and Hassan Saeed; Part I Abdullah Saeed: The context of the debate on apostasy: freedom of religion in the modern period; The historical context of the debate on apostasy and the roots of intolerance; Apostasy and related concepts; Punishment for apostasy in Islamic law and the evidence; Evidence against capital punishment for apostasy; Apostasy and the position of Muslim thinkers in the modern period; Apostasy law and its potential for misuse; Reasons for apostasy and understanding its fear among Muslims. Part II Hassan Saeed: Religious freedom in Malaysia: overview and restrictions; Apostasy laws in Malaysia: approaches of the two major political parties; Apostasy laws in Malaysia: jurisdiction and constitutionality; Apostasy laws in Malaysia: the future. Part III Abdullah Saeed: The need to rethink apostasy laws. Part IV: Appendices; Notes; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.

'This is a bold and trailblazing work that deserves the attention of all who are concerned with contemporary Islam and legal reform. Highly recommended. Public libraries with a serious interest in contemporary Islam and all academic collections serving lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers.' Choice '... it is well written, has a useful bibliography and is very reasonably priced.' Ecclesiastical Law Journal 'The book serves as a valuable textbook covering a wide range of opinions and themes as well as looking at a substantial number of hadiths and qur'anic verses. These show how fluid the debate on various forms of apostasy has been from the early stages right up to the present time.' Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations

Abdullah Saeed, University of Melbourne, Australia and Hassan Saeed, President of the Maldivian National Party, The Maldives

• Contents: Introduction, Abdullah Saeed and Hassan Saeed; Part I Abdullah Saeed: The context of the debate on apostasy: freedom of religion in the modern period; The historical context of the debate on apostasy and the roots of intolerance; Apostasy and related concepts; Punishment for apostasy in Islamic law and the evidence; Evidence against capital punishment for apostasy; Apostasy and the position of Muslim thinkers in the modern period; Apostasy law and its potential for misuse; Reasons for apostasy and understanding its fear among Muslims. Part II Hassan Saeed: Religious freedom in Malaysia: overview and restrictions; Apostasy laws in Malaysia: approaches of the two major political parties; Apostasy laws in Malaysia: jurisdiction and constitutionality; Apostasy laws in Malaysia: the future. Part III Abdullah Saeed: The need to rethink apostasy laws. Part IV: Appendices; Notes; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.

'This is a bold and trailblazing work that deserves the attention of all who are concerned with contemporary Islam and legal reform. Highly recommended. Public libraries with a serious interest in contemporary Islam and all academic collections serving lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers.' Choice '... it is well written, has a useful bibliography and is very reasonably priced.' Ecclesiastical Law Journal 'The book serves as a valuable textbook covering a wide range of opinions and themes as well as looking at a substantial number of hadiths and qur'anic verses. These show how fluid the debate on various forms of apostasy has been from the early stages right up to the present time.' Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations

Abdullah Saeed, University of Melbourne, Australia and Hassan Saeed, President of the Maldivian National Party, The Maldives

• Contents: Introduction, Abdullah Saeed and Hassan Saeed; Part I Abdullah Saeed: The context of the debate on apostasy: freedom of religion in the modern period; The historical context of the debate on apostasy and the roots of intolerance; Apostasy and related concepts; Punishment for apostasy in Islamic law and the evidence; Evidence against capital punishment for apostasy; Apostasy and the position of Muslim thinkers in the modern period; Apostasy law and its potential for misuse; Reasons for apostasy and understanding its fear among Muslims. Part II Hassan Saeed: Religious freedom in Malaysia: overview and restrictions; Apostasy laws in Malaysia: approaches of the two major political parties; Apostasy laws in Malaysia: jurisdiction and constitutionality; Apostasy laws in Malaysia: the future. Part III Abdullah Saeed: The need to rethink apostasy laws. Part IV: Appendices; Notes; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.

'This is a bold and trailblazing work that deserves the attention of all who are concerned with contemporary Islam and legal reform. Highly recommended. Public libraries with a serious interest in contemporary Islam and all academic collections serving lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers.' Choice '... it is well written, has a useful bibliography and is very reasonably priced.' Ecclesiastical Law Journal 'The book serves as a valuable textbook covering a wide range of opinions and themes as well as looking at a substantial number of hadiths and qur'anic verses. These show how fluid the debate on various forms of apostasy has been from the early stages right up to the present time.' Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations