Sunni imams' dealing with apostasy in Australia : a sociological study

Abstract

Apostasy among Muslims in the modern world is a controversial topic. Although it has been thoroughly studied theologically in Islam, apostasy, however, is sociologically understudied. Hence, this thesis examines how Muslim religious leaders (imams) deal with and understand apostasy in secular contexts such as Australia, where shari'ah is not officially part of the country's legal system. This study is an attempt to understand how Sunni imams in Sydney deal with and advise Muslims to deal with apostates. For this purpose, a qualitative research method was used, and twelve semi-structured interviews were carried out in Sydney. The themes emerging from the interviews demonstrate that imams in Sydney follow and advise fellow Muslims to follow shari'ah, but at the same time, take into account the Australian context, which is a secular modern liberal democracy. They try to make a connection between their methodological approach and the context to deliberate on the acts of apostasy. From imams' perspectives, thus, the punishment for apostates, according to shari'ah, cannot be applied in Australia. Imams in Sydney recommend treating "silent" apostates (those who do not insult Islam) with respect and kindness and call for dialogue with them. However, in the case of apostates who publicly criticise Islam and may influence other Muslims with their own ideology, imams advise Muslims to socially boycott them without resorting to violence or causing them harm. Drawing on shari'ah as a theoretical framework of this study, it is argued that this dealing with apostasy is situationally and contextually dependent. That is because, in shari'ah, when Muslims deal with complex issues such as apostasy, they have to weigh the possible harms and benefits of their decisions.

Date of Award	2021
Original language	English