No Compulsion in Religion ― No Exceptions: Islamic Arguments for Religious Freedom

The Qur’an famously declares, “There is no compulsion in religion.” But there is much compulsion today in the name of Islam — from apostasy laws to enforced veils — from Iran to Afghanistan. This groundbreaking book elucidates the Islamic arguments against these deadly “exceptions” to freedom. It advocates for a faith grounded in free choice, not coercion.

Most Muslims today are familiar with that remarkable Qur’anic statement: “There is no compulsion in religion…” (2:256). This verse, in a few words, seems to present an amazingly ancient precedent to a modern liberal value: that religion must be based on freedom, not coercion.

However, traditional Islamic legal sources also include various measures of religious coercion. Apostates and blasphemers are sentenced to the death penalty, and “religious police” forces are called to enforce piety. Moreover, some self-defined “Islamic” regimes of today, such as the Taliban, enforce these verdicts rigidly, shocking the conscience of many people, including many Muslims. So, is there really no compulsion in Islam? Or are there serious exceptions to that Qur’anic maxim, as some authorities explicitly argue?

This book, edited by Cato Institute Senior Fellow Mustafa Akyol, brings together a team of Muslim scholars to address this important question. By highlighting insights from Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic jurisprudence, Muslim history, and contemporary trends in the Muslim world, they make the case for full-fledged religious freedom. They argue that the Qur’anic maxim, “No compulsion in religion,” should be better embraced wholeheartedly, with no exceptions.

Mustafa Akyol is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, where he focuses on the intersection of public policy, Islam, and modernity. He is the author of books such as The Islamic Moses: How the Prophet Inspired Jews and Muslims to Flourish Together and Change the World (2024), Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance (2021), Why, as a Muslim, I Defend Liberty (2021), The Islamic Jesus: How the King of the Jews Became a Prophet of the Muslims (2017), and Islam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty (2011), all of which have been translated into various languages.