Islamic studies. Reza Aslan, an Iranian-American scholar of religious studies and writer. Jonathan A.C. Brown, a Muslim American scholar of Islamic studies. Rudolph F. Peters, Gert Vries, scholars of Islam. Khaled Abou El Fadl, scholar of Islamic law. S. A. Rahman, a former Chief Justice of Pakistan. Mahmud Shaltut, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (1958–1963). Rationale, arguments, criticism for and against killing apostates The question of whether apostates should be killed, has been "a matter for contentious dispute throughout Islamic history". For the death penalty Throughout Islamic history the Muslim community, scholars, and schools of fiqh have agreed that scripture prescribes this penalty; scripture must take precedence over reason or modern norms of human rights, as Islam is the one true religion; "no compulsion in religion" (Q.2:256) does not apply to this punishment; apostasy is "spiritual and cultural" treason; it hardly ever happens and so is not worth talking about. Abul A'la Maududi said that among early Muslims, among the schools of fiqh both Sunni and Shia, among scholars of shari'ah "of every century ... available on record", there is unanimous agreement that the punishment for apostate is death, and that "no room whatever remains to suggest" that this penalty has not "been continuously and uninterruptedly operative" through Islamic history; evidence from early texts that Muhammad called for apostates to be killed, and that companions of the Prophet and early caliphs ordered beheadings and crucifixions of apostates and has never been declared invalid over the course of the history of Islamic theology (Christine Schirrmacher). "Many hadiths", not just "one or two", call for the killing of apostates (Yusuf al-Qaradawi); Verse Q.2:217 — "hindering ˹others˺ from the Path of Allah, rejecting Him, and expelling the worshippers from the Sacred Mosque is ˹a˺ greater ˹sin˺ in the sight of Allah" — indicates the punishment for apostasy from Islam is death (Mohammad Iqbal Siddiqi), Quranic verses in general "appear to justify coercion and severe punishment" for apostates (Dale F. Eickelman). If this doctrine is called into question, what's next? — ritual prayer (salat)? fasting (sawm)? even Muhammad's mission? (Abul A'la Maududi). It "does not merit discussion" because [the advocates maintain] apostasy from Islam is so rare, (Ali Kettani), (Mahmud Brelvi); before the modern era, there was virtually no apostasy from Islam (Syed Barakat Ahmad); the punishment is "rarely invoked" because there are numerous qualifications or ways for the apostate to avoid death (to