Is apostasy illegal in Afghanistan?
Death penalty possible
Apostasy in Afghanistan is punishable by death under Hanafi Sunni jurisprudence, with no legal protection for those leaving Islam.
Afghanistan is one of 11 countries classified “Death penalty possible” for apostasy — 37% of the 30 with data. (Also searched as leaving a religion.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Apostasy in Islam by country
- Last checked
- 7 July 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Pakistan
- Criminal offense Apostasy is illegal in Pakistan and can lead to serious criminal charges under blasphemy laws, with no specific law against apostasy but effective prosecution through existing laws.
- United Arab Emirates
- Death penalty possible Apostasy is punishable by death in the UAE under Sharia law, with hudud crimes including apostasy requiring the death penalty according to their Penal Code.
- Oman
- Criminal offense Oman's Personal Status Law annuls marriage and denies inheritance rights for Muslim apostates.
- Qatar
- Death penalty possible Apostasy in Qatar is punishable by death under Sharia law, with specific criminalization of proselytizing Muslims to other religions.
- Kuwait
- Criminal offense Kuwait's family law allows Muslim courts to prosecute apostasy with penalties including annulment of marriage and property confiscation.
- Iraq
- Criminal offense In Iraq, while the constitution guarantees freedom of thought, a 15-year-old was imprisoned and tortured for declaring himself an atheist, indicating that apostasy can carry serious legal consequences.
Other laws in Afghanistan
- Blasphemy Laws
- Death penalty possible
- Holocaust Denial
- No specific law
- Conversion Therapy
- No ban
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.