Apostasy and Democracy
The apostasy prohibition is the 'hidden' encumbrance to a Muslim leader who places Islam in the public domain. The Arab psyche is in a cage. On one hand, they are born into a religion that prohibits them from leaving at the risk of death. On the other, they yearn to experiment with democracy, a construct b ased on personal freedom, freedom of religion inclusive. A construct that challenges the underlying prohibition. Morsi installed a Sharia-centric constitution in December 2012 but resisted turning Egypt into a full-blown Islamic state. He experimented with democracy and embraced its institutions. A Muslim leader in a Muslim majority state must choose between placing Islam in the public domain or keeping it private. Keeping it private, as in Azerbaijan and Malaysia, allows for a secular constitution, whereas placing it in the public domain demands a Sharia-centric constitution and its enabling institutions. Otherwise being encumbered with such prohibition himself, a ...