Jackson Jambalaya

An Egyptian converted from Islam to Christianity. The state refused to issue him new identity cards specifying his new religion. He sued the state, seeking an order directing the government to make said changes. The court refused to do so for several reasons:

"The court explained its actions by stating that Egypt's constitution guaranteed the principle of equality of public rights and obligations and freedom of belief and worship, which are also anchored in the international conventions, without discrimination as to gender, origin, language, religion, or belief, as long as this did not harm the public order. At the same time, the court decided that shari'a law took precedence over international convention and the Egyptian constitution in establishing freedom of belief, stating that "there is no coercion in religion [Koran 2:256]." ......
Another explanation presented by the court ruling was: "The laws of Islam, to which anyone who joins it agrees, forbid someone born a Muslim, or someone who [begins] to believe in Islam [at some point in his life] of his own free will, to rebel against Islam and to move to any other religion... Anyone who leaves his Christian religion in order not to return to it and enters the religion of Islam entirely of his own free will and without coercion is committed to its laws and principles, including not harboring any intentions to deny Islam or to leave it afterwards... Islam does not permit anyone who enters it of his own free will to leave it... for the sake of a particular aim or to change his religion as the wind changes direction..."
....
Senior officials in Egypt's religious establishment stated that the issue must be examined with an eye to the extent of the damage caused to society by the transition between religions, and that such examination must be carried out by an Egyptian court. Egyptian Mufti Dr. 'Ali Gum'ah explained that shari'a forbids a Muslim to change his religion, but that the punishment for this crime cannot be meted out in this world, rather by Allah on Judgment Day - because this is a matter of conscience between the individual and his God. He said that only if the apostasy constitutes a danger to the public must the matter be brought to the court, which will determine the required punishment."
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD167507

In Islam, there is nothing worse than an apostate, for he knew Allah and rejected Allah. The apostate is worse than the infidel. This is why one sees such violent reactions towards Muslims who dare criticize other Muslims or authors such as Rushdie as they are considered to be traitors to Islam and under the commands of the prophet, are to be dealt with rather harshly. One asks why there is no major Reformation movement in Islam or an Enlightenment in the Arab world. One of the main reasons is the Koran's deadly pronouncements on those who are guilty of apostasy, as this Egyptian discovered.