The Conversion of Magdi Allam: Issues, Implications and Opportunities
By Thomas Haidon
On the world stage, and under the auspices of Pope Benedict, Magdi Allam, a staunch Egyptian critic of radical Islam, became a member of the Roman-Catholic faith. The significance and symbolism of this conversion cannot be understated, particularly in the current climate of Islamic-Catholic affairs. In embracing Roman Catholicism and rejecting Islam, Mr Allam (a formerly self-avowed secular Muslim) breached one of the most fundamental precepts of traditional Islam by committing the “crime” of apostasy. At the same time Allam has made a potentially empowering statement in support of the freedom of religion and universal human rights. The implications of this event will unfold over the coming days and weeks. It is likely that the conversion of Mr Allam will hold significant implications for Mr Allam (particularly for his personal safety and relationship with the Muslim and non-Muslim world), and for the wider state of affairs governing Muslim-non-Muslim relations. It provides both challenges and opportunities for Muslims and non-Muslims to confront the “uncomfortable” aspects of Islam that are rarely discussed in the West.
At the foundation of any ensuing controversy behind Mr Allam’s conversion is traditional Islamic law. All major jurisprudential schools of traditional Islam criminalise “apostasy” and are in general accord that the punishment of death is mandated for the male, born to Muslim parents, who takes up another religion to Islam. While there may be some academic dissonance among so called moderates and reformers, the law is well settled. As such, Allam’s conversion essentially makes him a target for traditionalists and Islamists (not only “run of the mill” jihadists). In trying to grasp the situation, some commentators have begun to draw parallels between Mr Allam with the case of author Salman Rushdie, born into Shi’a Islam accused of blasphemy and apostasy by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Rushdie has been the subject of several fatwa (Islamic legal judgments), from Sunni and Shi’a scholars calling for his execution, which have resulted in attempts on his life.
While there are some clear parallels between Mr Allam and Mr Rusdhie, these comparisons are not entirely congruent. While Rushdie is considered an apostate by many Muslims and Muslim governments, he has not made a formal and public declaration of his apostasy like Mr Allam. Through his works including “Viva Israele!”, and his unabated criticism of radical Islam, Mr Allam had already been painted by traditionalists and Islamists with the “blasphemy” and “intellectual apostasy” brush. Mr Allam’s formal declaration of “apostasy” makes him an innate apostate according to Islamic law, and therefore severely exacerbates his already tenuous relationship with the traditional Muslim world. Mr Allam’s conversion will be treated with greater invective among Muslims because of its public nature and linkages to the Catholic Church and Pope Benedict. In other words, the situation of Mr Allam is likely to be more dire than that of Mr Rushdie. In traditionalist and Islamist eyes Mr Allam is likely to be perceived as far more “dangerous” than Rushdie. While Mr Allam, may become a target of Al-Qaeda, he is likely to also be the subject of fatwa from terrorists connected with the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, and the conservative factions of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, given his Sunni and Egyptian connections. Clearly, Mr Allam will require, and is most deserved of, state protection. Unfortunately, Mr Allam’s conversion is also likely to result in professional implications and may result in a backlash from Western media outlets, analysts, and policy-makers who continue to deny the existence of the problems stemming from Islam and who advocate for “constructive engagement” with Islamists. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and others provide for excellent case studies to demonstrate just how difficult the path of activism for ex-Muslims can be.
In terms of the wider context, this event is likely to serve as a potential flash point in the current context of deteriorating Islamic-Catholic relations. The Pope’s recent comments about Islam and the maltreatment of Christians in Muslim countries has been indicative of the Holy See’s insistence on reciprocity as a governing principle in Islamic-Catholic relations. This “defiance” has been met with hostility in the Muslim world, even among “moderates”. In traditionalist and Islamist circles, Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church, will be viewed as the primary enabler of Mr Allam’s conversion, and will only contribute to the Muslim world’s warped views about the Pope and the role of the Church. Given the overarching Muslim hysteria around the Danish cartoons and the papal statements, the conversion of Mr Allam before the Church is likely to be viewed as further “provocation”. Indeed, this event will contribute to the shifting framework of inter-faith dialogue, which is shifting from the standard approach of “polite dialogue“ and focus on “the common aspects of the Abrahamic faiths”, to an uncomfortable, but necessary discussion on the core tenets of religion, particularly Islam.
In many ways, the Allam conversion, and the controversy that is likely to ensure, will present both challenges and opportunities for ongoing Muslim-non-Muslim relations. Firstly, it provides yet a further test of the Muslim commitment to universal human rights and, to a degree, compatibility with “Western values”. Earlier, opportunities arose in the context of the Pope’s initial remarks on Islam, and the publication of the Danish cartoons. These opportunities were wasted, and the perceived divide between Islam and the West has only grown. For Western Muslims in particular however, the Allam conversion affords an opportunity to demonstrate a respect for the universal human freedom of religion, which is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This necessarily requires the express rejection of the traditionalist Islamic approach to the issue. Will the Muslim world embrace this opportunity?
The Allam conversion also has the potential to shift the current policy and discourse in the West. It highlights, once again the inherent conflict between universal human rights and the notion of “collective rights” (the rights of a group or cohort, which often trump individual rights), that is currently a central theme of debate in the international arena, particularly between Muslim countries and non-Muslim countries on the role of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Islamic Declaration of Human Rights. Shari’ah and its implementation epitomises the notion of “collective rights”; that is the marginalisation of individual rights in order to benefit the wider Muslim community. The Allam conversion and ensuing controversy could have the effect of encouraging public debate on this issue, and increasing awareness of the incompatibility of shari’ah with universal human rights. Perhaps this is an overly optimistic perspective, given the general reluctance and failure of policy makers in the West to confront the foundations of Islamism.
The public conversion of Allam may also lead to increased internal Muslim debate on the issue of “apostasy” head, and encourage frank discussions with non-Muslims on the issue, that move beyond the rhetoric that is the current framework of “inter-faith” dialogue. The immediate Muslim reaction appears to be disingenuous. The Vice President of Coreis, which purports to represent the Muslim community in Italy, failed to address the issue head on, but instead stated that he “respected” Mr Allam’s decision, but questioned the “high profile way he chose to do it”. History tells us however, that apostates are generally always regarded with vehemence in the wider Muslim community. The reaction over the coming days and weeks will be telling, particularly if the level Mr Allam’s activism escalates. It also affords the Catholic Church the opportunity to affirm the anti-Islamist overtones that has served as a hallmark of Pope Benedict’s tenure.
Importantly, this event could also serve as an empowering precedent for other Western Muslims, who may be inwardly secular, to follow Mr Allam’s path. Mr Allam, arguably is the most prominent Muslim to publicly convert to another faith. For many Muslims, traditional Islam is an intellectual and spiritual prison; the example of Mr Allam could help provide the impetus for Muslims to leave Islam. Undoubtedly, Mr Allam will bring needed vigour to the ex-Muslim and secular Muslim movement. Given his connections with moderate Muslims in Italy, including liberal Muslim thinker Sheikh Abdul Palazzi of the Italian Muslim Assembly, Mr Allam could also help foster connections between moderate Muslims and the ex-Muslim movement, to which common understandings exist. Mr Allam has been a staunch supporter of legitimate moderate Muslims. Moderate Muslims have an obligation to reciprocate that support and to give real effect and meaning to the oft repeated Qur’anic injunction (that is so often used to attest to purported Islamic tolerance by Muslim apologists): “[l]et there be no compulsion in religion”.
Genuine moderate Muslims should stand in solidarity with Mr Allam, in the spirit of universal human rights. Mr Allam has been a consistent supporter and enabler of Moderate Muslims and reformers. Mr Allam has demonstrated immeasurable courage and fortitude in rejecting Islamic tyranny, and should not stand alone. It is simply not enough, however, for Moderate Muslims to pay lip service to Mr Allam. Moderate Muslims must work harder to develop Islamic solutions to the problems of Islam, in order to create an environment for change. Collectively, we continue to fail to do so, despite the earnest efforts of a number of scholars. A primary objective of moderate Muslims and reformers should be to create an environment where is it is possible for Muslims to talk about Islam’s problems and its sources, and moreover to provide for safe mechanisms which enable Muslims to leave Islam, without the fear of repercussion. Currently, there is no such mechanism. The Muslim Heretic Conference being held in Atlanta later this month provides a further opportunity to advance this thinking.
