The clerics are contravening God's directive. For their own interest. Which is to world vontrol over the masses.
There shall be no compulsion in faith. It's as clear as day. But yet they dare defy.
An authentic hadith depicts Muhammad saying: “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57). The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to all the schools of Islam, sunni, shaiite, admadis, except sinkieland islam..