Correspondence Relating to Executions in Turkey for Apostacy from Islamism — John Shaqi
Correspondence Relating to Executions in Turkey for Apostacy from IslamismVarious
Islamic
Correspondence Relating to Executions in Turkey for Apostacy from Islamism
Various
Apostasy -- Islam; Executions (Islamic law)
His Majesty has given his serious attention to the various
considerations which you have laid before us in order to determine
the greater or less degree of propriety there would be in the
principal Powers of Europe generally, and in Russia particularly,
protesting against acts of cruelty incompatible with the principles
of humanity with which the Porte should show itself animated as
regards its Christian subjects. On the one hand, we have perceived
the difficulty, not to say the impossibility, of discovering the
suitable means of definitively paralyzing the effects of the law of
the Koran relating to apostacy; on the other hand, we cannot but
raise our voice when it is a question of inflicting the penalty of
death upon individuals who, in embracing Christianity, or in
returning into the bosom of the Church, appeal to our protection,
and impose upon us the duty of withdrawing them from the rigours of
a barbarous legislation.
In such a state of things the opinion which M. de Stürmer has
communicated to you, has appeared to us to be that which offers the
greatest chance of success. This opinion is, moreover, in conformity
with the views which I have had occasion to explain to you on the
same subject on a former occasion. It is then the Emperor's
intention that you should declare to the Ottoman Porte, in the form
of friendly counsel, that we positively expect no longer to witness
executions which array against it the indignation of all
Christendom. It is with a view to its own interest that we address
to it this demand. The Porte must not delude itself with regard to
the elements now in a state of fermentation in Turkey. Instead of
alienating from itself the feelings of the Christian population, the
Ottoman Government ought more than ever to labour to conciliate them
to itself. Let it comprehend, in fine, the necessity of allowing to
become obsolete antiquated enactments of the Mahomedan law, which
cannot be upheld but in disregard of the unanimous representations
of all the Powers. Such should be the purport of the language which,
Sir, you should hold to the Ottoman Porte, in concert with the other
Representatives; and we trust that in thus recalling it to a sense
of its duties and real interests, we shall prevent it from again
falling into the vicious system which it has recently followed.
Receive, &c.,
(Signed) NESSELRODE.
No. 28.
_Lord Cowley to the Earl of Aberdeen_.--(_Received March_ 21.)
(Extract.) _Paris, March_ 18, 1844.
With reference to the representations made to the Ottoman Government
by the French and English Representatives at Constantinople on the
subject of the execution of a Greek near Brussa, as reported in Sir
Stratford Canning's despatches of the 10th and 12th February, I have
the honour to state that M. Guizot has communicated to me the
substance of what passed at a conference which he has had within
these few days with Reshid Pasha upon that subject.
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