Is leaving Islam punishable by death in Bahrain?

Answer 1

There is no compulsion to accept Islam. A person may follow any religion of his own choice and free will. (Al- Qura'n- Sura -Al Baqra 2, Verse- 256). But some people in Medina made fun of Islam by accepting it in the morning and leaving it in the evening. Consequently, Almighty Allah ordained that such people should be put to death. But as we are not facing this situation nowadays, nobody makes fun of Islam like that and nobody is put to death. Anyhow, the command of Almighty Allah still stands valid and applicable wherever it is found applicable. Bahrain is a Muslim country. This kind of situation may arrive if Islam is openly ridiculed.

Answer 2

NO. Leaving Islam in Bahrain is not legally a capital offense and what the law targets is mockery of religions. Instead of being a capital offense, this mockery law makes punishment a fine or one-year's jail time. It is worth noting that these laws are liberally interpreted, so simply declaring yourself an Atheist may be seen as "ridiculing" Islam, but are not liberally applied, which means that if you keep silent, the Bahraini government will not seek you out.

In Bahrain, the applicable law are Articles 309 and 310 of the Penal Code which say specifically:

Article 309: A punishment for a period not exceeding one year or a fine not exceeding BD 100 (roughly $265 USD) shall be inflicted upon any person who commits an offence by any method of expression against one of the recognized religious communities or ridicules the rituals thereof.

Article 310: The punishment provided for in the preceding Article shall be inflicted upon any person who commits in public an insult against a symbol or a person that is glorified or considered sacred to members of a particular sect; (or) upon any person who imitates in public a religious ritual or ceremony with the intention of ridiculing it.

The original Arabic of the Bahraini Penal Code:

مادة 309: يعاقب بالحبس مدة لا تزيد على سنة أو بالغرامة التي لا تجاوز مائة دينار من تعدى بإحدى طرق العلانية على إحدى الملل المعترف بها أو حقر من شعائرها
مادة 310: يعاقب بالعقوبة المنصوص عليها في المادة السابقة من أهان علنا رمزا أو شخصا يكون موضع تمجيد أو تقديس لدى أهل ملة من قلد علنا نسكا أو حفلا دينيا بقصد السخرية منه

Popular Sentiment in Bahrain
Bahrain is generally a conservative culture, so people will disown family relations for coming out as Atheist, but the kinds of violence and murder by Shari'a Thugs (such as can be seen in Bangladesh or Egypt) for apostasy is not common in Bahrain. It is a relatively safe place to be an Atheist in the Islamic World as long as the person stays silent.

Commentary on Qur'anic Exegesis
This is strictly a question of legality and not a question of Islamic doctrine. As a result, the approach of citing to particular Qur'anic verses and exegesis is not terribly helpful. Regardless, if someone wants to read about apostasy from a perspective of Islamic doctrine, this question would be useful reading.