| 1 | Extremes meet. the most furious anarchist become the most barefaced apostate. | |
| 2 | Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim downplayed the defection, saying in Tripoli that government forces will continue to fight the rebels. | |
| 3 | Libyan diplomats in most European Union capitals have either been expelled or have defected to the rebels. | |
| 4 | At its sternest, Islamic law prescribes the death penalty for anybody who commits "apostasy" - or abandons the faith. | |
| 5 | But many left-wing friends never forgave his apostasy, doubtless reinforcing his inclination to keep the outside world at a safe distance. |