Saudi court gives death penalty to man who renounced his Muslim faith

RIYADH - An Islamic court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a man to death for renouncing his Muslim faith, the English-language daily Saudi Gazette reported on Tuesday.The man, in his 20s, posted an online video ripping up a copy of Islam's holy book, the Koran, and hitting it with a shoe, the newspaper reported.Saudi Arabia, the United States' top Arab ally and birthplace of Islam, follows the strict Wahhabi Sunni Muslim school and gives the clergy control over its justice system.Under the Wahhabi interpretation of Sharia Islamic law, apostasy demands the death penalty, as do some other religious offenses like sorcery, while blasphemy and criticism of senior Muslim clerics have incurred jail terms and corporal punishment.