Special to Compass Direct News
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, September 24, 2008: The Iranian government is proceeding with a bill that will make “apostasy,” or leaving Islam, a capital crime.
On Sept. 9 the Iranian parliament approved a new penal code by a vote of 196-7 calling for a mandatory death sentence for apostates, or those who leave Islam. The Baha’i community of Iran is the most likely to be affected by this decision.
The bill still has to make its way through Iran’s policy-making process before it becomes law. Parliament is reviewing it article by article, after which it will be sent to Iran’s most influential body, the Guardian Council, which will rule on it.