Why Do Islamic States Persecute Atheists ?

[The Emperor of Mankind]

That is not for me to say because i don't know the details. This need to be handled at the court.

My question was in response to your agreement with the sensibility that politics rather than Islam (or at least the Saudi interpretation) that leads to peoples' deaths.

I don't think you answered that in your last post.

 

[Seeker of the Ancients]

In Egypt, a man was sentenced to three years in prison for calling himself an atheist on Facebook. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a growth in atheism has resulted in a state backlash, with a liberal blogger lashed for calling for religious toleration.

If there is no compulsion in Islam, why do Islamic states react so violently to atheism? What do they have to fear if Islam is true?

Why does any fundamentalist group try to suppress naysayers? Because it weakens the position of the established power structure. And to those in power, that is a terrifying and unacceptable thing.

If they have the power to brutally suppress these dissenting voices, it's only natural that they would use such power. That is what we are seeing in places like Saudi Arabia.

However, it's important to note that these situations are not limited to Islam, but are a result fundamentalism in general. Any viewpoint, even non-religious ones (politics, etc.), can give way to fundamentalism in the right atmosphere. And as soon as that happens, suppression of free speech and violent retaliation to dissent aren't far off.