Many Islamic and Muslim-majority nations impose brutal punishments for apostasy and blasphemy. Reports of Muslims and non-Muslims being sentenced to years in prison and even death are increasingly becoming common in the media. Do these laws affect only Muslim societies? Should it be an international concern? Asking these questions, and others surrounding these codes, The Diplomat interviewed Dr. Paul Marshall, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Religious Freedom of the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., in the United States.

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A robot from AgiBot is seen during the Global Developer Conference, organized by the Shanghai AI Industry Association, in Shanghai on February 21, 2025. (Hector Retamal via Getty Images)