Shi’ite Islam, like Sunni Islam, prescribes the death penalty for apostasy:
Shaykh al-Kulayni narrates a sahíh (correct) hadith from `Ammãr as-Sãbãti who said: I heard (Imam) Abu `Abdullãh (as-Sãdiq) (a.s.) saying, “A Muslim from among the Muslims who renounces Islam and rejects the prophethood of Muhammad and considers him untrue, then verily his blood is lawful (mubãh) for anyone who hears that from him, his wife is to be separated from him the day he became murtad [apostate], his wealth will be divided among his heirs, and his wife will observe the `idda of a widow (i.e., four months). The Imam is obliged to kill him, and not ask him to seek forgiveness.” (Furu al-Kãfi, vol. 7, p. 257)
The Islamic Republic of Iran might not carry out this sentence in the absence of the Imam, but they’re not likely to be lenient and kind to the converts, either.
“Three Christians including pregnant woman sentenced to over 40 years in prison,” Article 18, March 10, 2025:
Three Christian converts including a woman pregnant with her first child have been sentenced to over 40 years in prison on charges related to their religious beliefs and worship meetings.
Abbas Soori, Mehran Shamloui and Narges Nasri, who is approximately halfway through her pregnancy, were sentenced by notorious Revolutionary Court judge Iman Afshari on 8 March – International Women’s Day.
Narges, who is 37 years old, received the stiffest sentence – 10 years for “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law”, five for membership of an “opposition group” (house-church) and an additional one year for “propaganda against the state” – for having posted on social media in support of the Women, Life, Freedom movement.
Abbas, 48, received a total of 15 years in prison – 10 years for “propaganda activities” and five for membership of an “opposition group” – while Mehran, 37, received an eight-year sentence for the first charge and two years and eight months for the second.
All three were also sentenced to years of deprivation of social rights, such as to health, employment or education – 15 years each for Narges and Abbas, and 11 years for Mehran – while Narges and Abbas were fined 330 million tomans ($3,500) each, and Mehran 250 million ($2,750). Narges and Abbas were also banned from membership of any group, residing in their home province of Tehran or leaving Iran for two years after their release.
The three Christians were arrested on 3 November 2024 during concurrent raids by intelligence agents on their homes in Tehran, during which personal belongings including Bibles, crosses and musical instruments were confiscated. (Mehran is a musician, and the equipment the agents confiscated from him was worth around $5,500.)
The Christians were then transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence.
They were released on bail equivalent to more than $20,000 each a month later, following a series of lengthy and intensive interrogations.
Their court hearing took place on 15 February at Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, where they were officially charged with “membership of opposition groups”, “propaganda against the system” and “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law through foreign relations,” under Articles 499, 500 and 500 bis, respectively….
mike says
WOW when you have what they call a religion (of peace) that people try to escape from. Being jailed or executed for leaving. One has to ask why people are leaving and why Islam in control are so determined to hold the people hostage.
There is something very wrong and no one is willing to admit it or stand up
safety in numbers
rick says
Only 40 years in prison for turning to the Christian faith? With no cutting off of any limbs or gorging out your eyes or cutting out your tongue? Islam must be getting reformed from the good ole’ days like in the 1929 massacre of Jews in Hebron when they went house to house and cut of limbs of Jews as a punishment…for being a Jew. Maybe the Shia religion is more humane to Christians? Is that possible? Doubt it. Or maybe Palestinians are more blood thirsty? That is more possible.
Tony Rice says
What a direct contrast with Judaism whereby a non Jew cannot become a Jew unless they study for 3 years to see what it is all about and then apply for conversion .
Walter Sieruk says
The reason that the Muslims clerics, the ayatollahs and mullahs, in power in Iran are very ready and will to do everything they are able to do ,through those thugs in uniform who are Iran’s Islamic state police, who call themselves the “the Revolutionary Guards , to engage in sever brutal and cruel persecution against Christians, as with those three Christian converts who are now in prison, is because those ruling Muslims clerics are afraid that if the Iranian people start to read the Bible and discover that when the Bible and the Quran are compared and contrasted find that the Bible is the superior of those two books.
Therefore , those Ayatollahs and mullahs might then start to loses much of their power because that that Islamic “Republic “ of Iran has the Quran with its Sharia as the entire foundation of their regime.
So they , to uphold their power, will everything they can to keep the Iranian people in ignorance of the Bible and away from the light the Bible and keep them in the darkness of Islam.
In in consequence, in time , the result will be sorrow upon those ayatollahs sand mullahs. For the Bible reveals “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness.” Isaiah 5:20. [N.K.J.V.]
Walter Sieruk says
About those Imams and mullahs of Iran, such false teachers are described in the Bible, in Second Peter 2:1,2 “There were false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction and many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.”
Those same Muslims clerics also tell the Iranian people many awful terrible things that aren’t true about Christians and Christianity , likewise they speak many negative and false things about the Jewish people and the State of Israel. This is a reflection of the prediction of such lying falsehood speakers written about in the Bible , which informs its reader about men who “Speak evil of things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption.” Second Peter 2:12.
Alex Lund says
Let me guess: If they would have returned to the “Religion of Peace” they would have either received lower prison sentences (punish one to teach thousands) or released with a warning.
Ulf Schager says
This brave group of Christians in Iran not denying their faith in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Faceing years in hard prisons… God will give them all the blessings and on the Bema seat of Christ they will be rewarded for sacrifice…
Compare this bravery with the Church in the West. Lukewarm, apostate, Ladeociean church only thinking on how to accept LGBT+++ and same sex marriage in the Church.
My heart and prayer is for this precious brothers and sister in Christ.🙏
May God Bless and protect them, in Jesus name, I pray.
In Christ!
Ulf Schager Sweden
OLD GUY says
What is it that the west doesn’t understand about Islam. What other religion sends you to jail for NOT believing in it? Or sentences you to death for being gay? Something is vary wrong with the Islamic so called religion. Islam is a political motivated cult. Its sole purpose of it’s leaders is to dominate the world.