Reformers Silenced: Those Who Tried to Change Islam
Throughout Islamic history, brave individuals have attempted to reform Islam, question its teachings, or advocate for more humane interpretations. The fate of these reformers reveals a disturbing pattern: Islam does not tolerate internal criticism or reform. Those who try are silenced through social ostracism, legal persecution, or murder. Understanding what happens to reformers exposes the religion's fundamental resistance to change and its use of violence to maintain orthodoxy.
Why Islam Resists Reform
Islam faces unique challenges to reform that other religions do not. The Quran is believed to be the literal, eternal, unchangeable word of Allah—not inspired by God, but actually dictated by God. This doctrine of divine authorship makes questioning or reinterpreting the Quran tantamount to questioning Allah himself.
Additionally, Muhammad is considered "al-insan al-kamil" (the perfect human) whose example (Sunnah) must be followed for all time. The Quran commands:
"There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often." (Quran 33:21)
This creates a theological trap: How can one reform a religion when its texts are considered perfect and its founder is considered the ideal example? Any critique of Islamic teachings or Muhammad's behavior becomes blasphemy punishable by death.
The Death Penalty for Apostasy and Blasphemy
The primary weapon against reform is the death penalty for apostasy and blasphemy. These laws ensure that criticism remains dangerous and often fatal.
Narrated Ikrima: "Ali burnt some people and this news reached Ibn Abbas, who said, 'Had I been in his place I would not have burnt them, as the Prophet said, "Don't punish (anybody) with Allah's Punishment." No doubt, I would have killed them, for the Prophet said, "If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him."'" (Sahih Bukhari 4:52:260)
Narrated Abdullah: "Allah's Apostle said, 'The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims.'" (Sahih Bukhari 9:83:17)
All four major Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali) agree that the penalty for apostasy is death. This creates a climate of fear that stifles reform.
Historical Reformers Who Were Killed or Persecuted
Mansur Al-Hallaj (858-922 CE)
A Sufi mystic and poet, Al-Hallaj was executed for blasphemy after declaring "Ana al-Haqq" ("I am the Truth/Reality"), which was interpreted as claiming divinity. He was imprisoned for years, then brutally tortured and executed in Baghdad. His hands and feet were cut off, he was crucified, and finally beheaded. His body was burned and his ashes scattered.
Ibn al-Rawandi (827-911 CE)
An early skeptic who questioned the Quran's divine origin, Muhammad's prophethood, and Islamic doctrines. He argued that reason should supersede revelation. His books were banned and burned, and he spent much of his life in hiding, facing death threats from religious authorities.
Omar Khayyam (1048-1131 CE)
The famous Persian poet, mathematician, and astronomer was accused of heresy for his skeptical verses questioning religious dogma. While he avoided execution by carefully veiling his critiques in poetry, he faced constant persecution and had to defend himself against charges of apostasy throughout his life.
Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (854-925 CE)
A physician and philosopher who questioned prophethood and argued that reason is superior to revelation. He wrote "On the Refutation of Revealed Religions," challenging Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. His works were systematically destroyed, and he was declared an apostate. Later Islamic scholars condemned him as a heretic.
Modern Reformers and Their Fate
Mahmoud Mohammed Taha (1909-1985)
A Sudanese religious thinker who proposed that the peaceful Meccan verses of the Quran should supersede the violent Medinan verses—essentially reversing traditional abrogation doctrine. He argued for gender equality, religious freedom, and human rights. In 1985, at age 76, he was hanged for apostasy by the Sudanese government. Before his execution, he was forced to marry off his daughter to dissolve his marriage, and his family was stripped of inheritance rights.
Farag Foda (1945-1992)
An Egyptian professor, writer, and human rights activist who criticized political Islam and advocated for secularism. He debated Islamic scholars publicly and wrote extensively about the dangers of Islamic fundamentalism. In 1992, he was assassinated by members of the terrorist group al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya. Before his murder, Al-Azhar University scholars had declared him an apostate—effectively issuing a death sentence.
Rashad Khalifa (1935-1990)
An Egyptian-American biochemist who claimed to have discovered a mathematical code in the Quran and later declared the last two verses of Surah 9 to be false additions. He also claimed to be a messenger of God. He was stabbed to death in Tucson, Arizona, in what was likely an assassination ordered by Islamic extremists who viewed him as an apostate and blasphemer.
Turan Dursun (1934-1990)
A Turkish Islamic scholar and former imam who became an atheist and wrote books criticizing Islam. His works included "Allah'ın Laneti" (The Curse of Allah) and analyses of the Quran's contradictions and Muhammad's life. Despite police protection, he was assassinated in Istanbul by Islamic militants. Before his death, he said, "I am not afraid of death, only of not being able to finish my work."
Contemporary Reformers Under Threat
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
A Somali-born former Muslim who became a prominent critic of Islam after escaping an arranged marriage. She has advocated for women's rights and reformation of Islam. After collaborating with filmmaker Theo van Gogh on a documentary critical of Islam's treatment of women, van Gogh was murdered in Amsterdam in 2004. The assassin left a note pinned to van Gogh's body with a knife, threatening Hirsi Ali. She has lived under constant security protection ever since.
Taslima Nasrin
A Bangladeshi author who has written critically about the treatment of women in Islam and called for reform of Islamic law. She has faced death threats, fatwas calling for her execution, and violent protests. She has been forced into exile and cannot safely return to Bangladesh. In 1994, Islamic fundamentalists offered a bounty for her death.
Salman Rushdie
Author of "The Satanic Verses," which fictionally explored controversial episodes in Muhammad's life. In 1989, Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for his death. Rushdie spent years in hiding under police protection. Several people connected to the book's publication were attacked or killed, including the Japanese translator (stabbed to death) and the Italian translator (stabbed and survived). In 2022, Rushdie was stabbed multiple times at a speaking event in New York, losing sight in one eye and use of one hand.
Ibn Warraq
The pen name of an anonymous author who has written extensively critiquing Islam, including "Why I Am Not a Muslim" and "The Origins of the Koran." He maintains anonymity due to credible death threats and remains in hiding. His work examines historical and textual problems with Islamic claims.
Ali Sina
An ex-Muslim who founded Faith Freedom International, a website critiquing Islam and helping people leave the religion. He has received numerous death threats and maintains anonymity for his safety. He has offered financial rewards to anyone who can refute his criticisms of Islam—rewards that remain unclaimed—but the typical response has been threats rather than rational debate.
The Pattern Is Clear
The treatment of reformers follows a predictable pattern:
- Step 1: Individual questions Islamic teachings or calls for reform
- Step 2: Islamic scholars declare the person an apostate or blasphemer
- Step 3: Death threats and fatwas follow
- Step 4: The person is murdered, forced into hiding, or exiled
- Step 5: Other potential reformers see the consequences and remain silent
This system effectively prevents internal reform through intimidation and violence. The message is clear: question Islam and die.
Islamic Scholars Who Justify Killing Reformers
Mainstream Islamic scholars, not just extremists, support the death penalty for apostasy and blasphemy:
Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and one of the most influential Sunni clerics, has explicitly stated that without the death penalty for apostasy, Islam would not exist today. Al-Azhar University in Egypt, the most prestigious institution in Sunni Islam, teaches that apostasy is punishable by death. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, representing 57 Muslim-majority nations, has repeatedly attempted to make "defamation of Islam" a crime under international law.
Biblical Contrast: Jesus and Religious Reform
Jesus himself was a religious reformer who challenged the religious establishment of his time. He criticized the Pharisees, reinterpreted Jewish law, and offered new understanding of God's nature. Christianity's entire foundation is built on religious reform.
"Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 'The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.'" (Matthew 23:1-3)
Jesus welcomed questions and debate. When challenged, he engaged intellectually rather than with violence. His disciples continued this tradition, debating in synagogues and public forums (Acts 17:2, 17:17). Paul wrote, "Test everything; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Christianity has experienced numerous reform movements—the Protestant Reformation being the most dramatic—without fundamental doctrines requiring the murder of reformers. Debate and questioning are seen as healthy, not treasonous.
The Impossibility of Islamic Reform
The fate of reformers reveals why Islamic reform is extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible:
- The Quran is considered literally perfect and unchangeable
- Muhammad is considered the perfect example who cannot be criticized
- Apostasy and blasphemy are capital crimes in Islamic law
- Mainstream Islamic institutions support these penalties
- Any attempt at reform is met with violence or death threats
Western Muslims who claim Islam can be reformed while living safely in Western countries rarely face the consequences that reformers in Muslim-majority countries face. Their safety depends on Western secular law, not Islamic law. In countries where sharia is implemented, reform is effectively impossible.
Questions to Consider
- What does it say about Islam that so many who try to reform it end up murdered or in hiding?
- How can a religion claim to be true if it must use violence and threats to prevent questioning?
- Why do Muslim-majority countries overwhelmingly support laws criminalizing apostasy and blasphemy?
- If Islam is confident in its truth, why does it fear honest examination and criticism?
- What kind of god requires his followers to murder those who leave or question the faith?
- How can Muslims living safely in the West claim Islam is compatible with freedom of thought when reformers in Islamic countries are killed?
- If Islamic reformation is impossible due to the religion's fundamental texts and doctrines, what does this mean for Islam's future in a modern world?