Is apostasy illegal in 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.
Iraq is one of 15 countries classified “Criminal offense” for apostasy — 50% 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
- Kuwait
- Criminal offense Kuwait's family law allows Muslim courts to prosecute apostasy with penalties including annulment of marriage and property confiscation.
- Jordan
- Criminal offense Jordan allows apostasy charges in Islamic courts with serious civil consequences like imprisonment and loss of marriage rights.
- Palestine
- Criminal offense Palestine's legal system allows charges for defaming religion, with imprisonment risks for atheists and apostates.
- Turkey
- Criminal offense Turkey does not legally punish apostasy but has mechanisms that make it difficult for citizens to be registered as non-Muslim, with laws against insulting religious beliefs.
- Saudi Arabia
- Death penalty possible Saudi Arabia enforces the death penalty for apostasy under Islamic law, with active prosecution and cases such as Hamza Kashgari and Ahmad Al Shamri.
- Qatar
- Death penalty possible Apostasy in Qatar is punishable by death under Sharia law, with specific criminalization of proselytizing Muslims to other religions.
Other laws in Iraq
- 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.