Q&A: The Coerced
The Coerced
Question
Hello Rabbi. If, God forbid, the nightmare scenario were to happen and we were conquered by Arab states and left with two options—die or convert to Islam—what would be the right thing to do: a. logically, b. according to Jewish law. (Let’s assume it would not be merely lip service, and that they would have a way to verify it.)
Answer
There is no such thing as “not merely lip service.” If you convert to Islam even though you do not believe in it, then it is lip service. Even if you wanted to, you cannot believe something you do not believe.
Principally, it is forbidden to convert to Islam in such a situation, even if the conversion is only lip service, and despite the fact that Islam is not considered idol worship. But until we are actually in that situation itself, it is hard to make definitive rulings. That was precisely the dilemma of the coerced converts.
Something similar happened to several hostages.