Saudi Sheik: Muslim Women Could Face Death For Marrying Non-Muslims

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid issues fatwas on Saudi Television and at this website. Recently, Al-Munajjid's site issued one in response to the following query: "How is a woman to be punished if she marries a Christian? How is it carried out?"

The answer in a nutshell: Cruelly.

According to Al-Munajjid's clerical team:

"It is not permissible for a Muslim woman to marry a kaafir (non-Muslim), whether he is Jewish, Christian or an idol-worshipper, because the man has authority over his wife, and it is not permissible for a kaafir to have authority over a Muslim woman. For Islam is the true religion and all other religions are false."

Islamqa.com adds that if "a Muslim woman marries a kaafir when she knows the ruling, then she is a zaaniyah (adulteress), and her punishment is the punishment for adultery [death]. If she was ignorant of the ruling then she is excused, but they must be separated, and there is no need for a divorce because the marriage is null and void."

The same site includes a fatwa labeling tourism in non-Islamic countries as forbidden. The same goes for ever taking pictures of women, "because of the temptation and evil that results from that, in addition to the fact that taking pictures is forbidden in and of itself. So it is not permissible to take pictures of women when traveling or for any other reason." Another bars "honor killings" of virgins who engage in zina, or fornication. (In some parts of the Muslim world, virgins who have been raped are considered to have fornicated) Instead of capital punishment, Islamqa.com says Sharia punishment for fornicators "is one hundred lashes and exile for one year."

Al-Munajjid is best known for calling for the death of Mickey Mouse last year. See MEMRI-TV's translation here.

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