Daddy State's Gonna Daddy State

I was listening to part of a podcast by Joe Walsh, and he made the point that he came from MAGA (he voted for Trump in 2016), and now that he's left the movement, and makes a habit of speaking out against it, his old colleagues and friends and fellow travelers have basically told him to fuck off - just because he's not with them anymore and he "blasphemes" against their belief in trump as the chosen one.

And that seems to be the default setting - you're either on your knees licking the shit off Trump's boots, or you're a heretic and an outcast to be attacked and condemned. You're an apostate.

It strikes me as another glaring example of MAGA / Christian Nationalist hypocrisy, because nobody's more Muslim-hating than MAGA, but there's nothing more Muslim-like than the shunning of - and the pursuit of vengeance against - apostates.

Apostasy in Islam

Commonly defined as the abandonment of Islam by a Muslim, in thought, word, or through deed. It includes not only explicit renunciations of the Islamic faith by converting to another religion[1] or abandoning religion, but also blasphemy or heresy by those who consider themselves Muslims, through any action or utterance which implies unbelief, including those who deny a "fundamental tenet or creed" of Islam, An apostate from Islam is known as a murtadd (مرتدّ).

While Islamic jurisprudence calls for the death penalty of those who refuse to repent of apostasy from Islam, what statements or acts qualify as apostasy and whether and how they should be punished, are disputed among Islamic scholars. The penalty of killing of apostates is in conflict with international human rights norms which provide for the freedom of religions, as demonstrated in human rights instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provide for the freedom of religion.

It's also a very strong reminder of why the separation of church and state is a bedrock tenet, and mission-critical element of good government.