March 21, 2006
"A Religion of Tolerance"
Abdul Rahman is on trial for his life in Afghanistan. His crime (h/t Michelle Malkin, who has the round-up) is converting to Christianity:
Despite the overthrow of the fundamentalist Taliban government and the presence of 22,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a man who converted to Christianity is being prosecuted in Kabul, and a judge said Sunday that if convicted, he faces the death penalty.Abdul Rahman, who is in his 40s, says he converted to Christianity 16 years ago while working as an aid worker helping Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
Relatives denounced him as a convert during a custody battle over his children, and he was arrested last month. The prosecutor says Rahman was found with a Bible.
So Afghans are willing to take our economic aid to develop their battered infrastructure, our medicines to cure their ills, our EOD teams to clear their mines, and our soldiers to hold the Taliban at bay, and yet they are willing to kill a man because he has taken to heart another contribution from us in Christianity.
The "tolerant" judge hopes for a peaceful resolution:
"We will ask him if he has changed his mind about being a Christian," Mawlazezadah says. "If he has, we will forgive him, because Islam is a religion of tolerance."
Afghan is a country with its own laws, and we cannot force them to accept converts to other religions when the most extreme interpretations of their law supposes they have legal "right" to kill Abdul Rahman.
They, however, do not have any claim to economic or military aid from civilized nations. We have no moral obligation to support a government that would allow Abdul Rahman to be killed. It goes without saying that were we to withdraw our support, the "tolerant" judge himself might meet a judgement of his own at the hands of the remaining elements of the Taliban.
Judge Mawlazezadah should be introduced to an American phrase attributed to Ben Franklin at the signing of our Declaration of Independence:
We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.
The neck Judge Mawlazezadah saves may be his own.
How can this be a religion of tolerance, when they will not tolerate any other religion. I would like to see Muslim religious leaders speak out about this. I would like to have them explain the meaning of tolerance, love and unity most of all acceptance.
Posted by: Faithful Patriot at March 21, 2006 08:05 AMIslam's tolerant acceptance of others converting to Islam yet demanding the death of those who defect from (or refuse to convert to) Islam exemplifies the fact that Isalm is indeed at war with the rest of the world. It is truly time to acknowledge the reality of the situation.
Posted by: Old Soldier at March 21, 2006 10:45 AMI have made this point before and will do so again. Our war is not with individual terrorist but a clash of civilizations. As I see it it is the religion of Islam against the rest of the world. Our policy here should be shaped accordingly. When I get on an airplane I should not have a problem or hassel in doing so. No wand, no body search, etc. However, a Muslim should not even be allowed to travel and we should consider interrnment as we did for Germans and Japanese in WWII. When Islam decides to enter the 21st century then allow them the freedom we should have but don't!!
Posted by: David Caskey at March 21, 2006 12:06 PMDavid has some valid points in his comments...I don't see Southern Baptist Terrorists or Catholic Terrorists driving car bombs and rioting in the streets...and he's right--it's Islam vs. the Western World.
We're losing that fight--and we're doing nothing but helping their cause against us...
Posted by: WB at March 21, 2006 01:14 PM"Those who deny freedom to others do not deserve it themselves."
--Abraham Lincoln
