Nigeria: Muslim converts to Christianity, his family tries to murder him

The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law. It’s based on the Qur’an: “They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.” (Qur’an 4:89)

A hadith depicts Muhammad saying: “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57). The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence.

This is still the position of all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence, both Sunni and Shi’ite. Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the most renowned and prominent Muslim cleric in the world, has stated: “The Muslim jurists are unanimous that apostates must be punished, yet they differ as to determining the kind of punishment to be inflicted upon them. The majority of them, including the four main schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali) as well as the other four schools of jurisprudence (the four Shiite schools of Az-Zaidiyyah, Al-Ithna-‘ashriyyah, Al-Ja’fariyyah, and Az-Zaheriyyah) agree that apostates must be executed.”

Qaradawi also once famously said: “If they had gotten rid of the apostasy punishment, Islam wouldn’t exist today.”

“The Hatred at Home: How a Nigerian Christian Escaped his Family’s Attempt to Kill Him,” International Christian Concern, September 23, 2024:

9/23/2024 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) — In Northern Nigeria, where Christian-Muslim tensions run deep, a young man named Salisu Bala made a decision that made his family want to kill him.

Bala, 32, an independent artisan from Angwan Rogo, Jos, defied the strong Islamic roots of his family and community and decided to follow Jesus.

Bala grew up in a predominantly Muslim area where Islamic extremists frequently target Christians. His parents, deeply rooted in the Islamic traditions of Adamawa state, have witnessed firsthand the rise of Boko Haram’s bloody campaign against Christians.  Despite this, Bala experienced dreams that he interpreted as divine encounters with Christ. In mid-2023, after sharing his dreams with a Christian friend, Bala secretly converted to Christianity and started attending church.

His newfound faith, however, did not remain hidden for long. In September 2023, Bala’s parents discovered he had left Islam and confined him in a room for four days without food or water. His only way out was to renounce his faith in Christ.

“I was aware that I would face oppression from my people, but I didn’t expect it to happen when it did,” Bala said. “I couldn’t bring myself to renounce Jesus Christ, and I never will.”

As his strength faded, Bala feared that he could die. Around this time, his Muslim friend broke into the room and rescued him.

Salisu now lives in hiding under the care of an area pastor, who is discipling 70 Christian converts from Islam at a center near Jos. The pastor, whose name we are withholding for security reasons, attested to Bala’s unwavering commitment to his new faith, even in extreme danger….