Is apostasy illegal in the United States?
Legal
There are no legal penalties for apostasy in the United States, and leaving Islam is not a criminal offense.
The United States is one of 12 countries classified “Legal” for apostasy — 39% of the 31 with data. (Also searched as leaving a religion.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Apostasy in Islam by country
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- United Kingdom
- Legal There are no legal penalties for apostasy in the UK, and ex-Muslims can freely question their former faith.
- Netherlands
- Legal Apostasy is legal in the Netherlands, protected by freedom of religion laws.
- Belgium
- Legal There are no legal penalties for apostasy in Belgium, despite social stigma and threats.
- Morocco
- Legal The penal code does not impose the death penalty, and a previous fatwa calling for it was retracted.
- Mauritania
- Death penalty possible Article 306 of the criminal code declares apostasy illegal and provides a death sentence.
- Algeria
- Criminal offense Apostasy is a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment or fines in Algeria.
Other laws in United States
- Blasphemy Laws
- No blasphemy law
- Holocaust Denial
- No specific law
- Flag Desecration
- Legal / protected speech
- Conversion Therapy
- Varies by region
Every law in the United States → · Where is apostasy illegal? →
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.