Last week, the Economist published two articles about religious conversion and the right of people around the world to follow their own religious path. One article, The Moment of Truth, questions whether the liberal understanding of religion, which puts emphasis on the right to change one's belief, is actually widespread or perhaps an exception in certain countries like the United States. Readers are reminded that "one in four Americans moves on from the faith of their upbringing," but that in most countries conversion has far more serious consequences because religious affiliation is often directly connected to power structures and political dynamics. The Economist describes this as a situation "where religion and authority (whether political, economic, or personal) are bound up," and therefore, conversions cause controversy and shock waves. "It has been assumed that the wider community, in the form of the family, the village, or the state, has every right to take an interest in the matter." The article further analyzes countries and settings that have historical remnants and contemporary issues of political power being divided and allocated along confessional lines, such as Lebanon. Therefore, the conclusion appears to be that "in many ways, religious freedom is receding, not advancing." A second piece, titled, In Death's Shadow, discusses the political ramifications of conversion and focuses on "an increasingly hard line across the Muslim world." This article looks briefly at countries that impose the death penalty for apostasy , such as post-Taliban Afghanistan and the issue of Muslim-Christian conversion. Now, in India, there are also movements to make conversion from Hinduism ever more difficult, and in Malaysia, where sharia courts have increasing power, the judges "rarely let a registered Muslim quit the fold." This second piece of writing looks at arguments being made in the Muslim world, and it starts with an analysis of the decision of Egypt's grand mufti, Ali Gomaa, that Muslims can in fact convert to other religions , that it is a matter between the believer and God.
