Bush "Deeply Troubled" about Afghan Christian Facing Death .
Like, I would hope so because, I guess to me this is about religious terriorism. It is not about religious intolerance. Why are people afraid to call it what it is? If threatening someone with death for their religious beliefs is not terrorism, then what is?
On Tuesday I posted the blog, "Is this for Real? Death for Converting from Islam to Christianity?? I said I was waiting for George Bush to speak out on this. I had my doubts but my God here was a true Christian facing possible death for converting from Islam to Christianity and where was George?
So this afternoon as I'm driving I hear this update on Seattle's KUOW station that Bush has actually said something. He's "deeply troubled" .
I was really wondering if this poor man was going to sacrificed because the President was afraid to speak out. After all, while Afghanistan is like an American colony right now, still we need to maintain the illusion that the Afghans can decide their own laws and justice, including for people who are non-believers.
This fellow's sin was that he converted from Islam to Christianity. And the law in Afghanistan said that is a crime punishable by death. Now this man did not kill anyone or even cause bodily injury to someone.
But speaking out against Islamic religious law might offend people of the Islamic faith in Afghanistan and elsewhere and George could be threatened with death for questioning the Islamic religion. Islamic religious fanatics would scream that he was intolerant of their religion.
But is this religion? Is the world community ready to turn a blind eye on a supposed religious law of condemning someone to die because they choose another religion? This is religious terrorism.
George has to choose his words carefully. So he is "deeply troubled". But I think he needs to be more than deeply troubled. He needs to be involved and say that this is not acceptable and the United States can not accept it and rally other countries to say it is not acceptable. I'm sure some of this is being done quietly behind the scenes as Bush is swearing.
Because this is deeply embarrassing. Because why are we fighting in Afganastan and Iraq if in the end if governments and religious laws support barbaric practices like this.
George needs to talk directly to Afghan President Harmid Karzai and tell him that the world community will likely turn against Islam if this man is killed for his beliefs. He needs to say that continued US support of his government is dependent on this law being abolished.
Sure, most everyone is now afraid to speak out after the Danish cartoon riots but I think many people realize those riots were inflamed and supported by certain Islamic governments and fanatics to intimidate other nations and religions. And it worked so far.
But fighting religious intolerance goes both ways. And for any Islamic country to kill someone for not being Islamic or freely choosing another religion is the height of intolerance. It is a form of terrorism and needs to be called such.
So on KUOW the newcast said that the prosecutor of this case, realizing I guess the extreme problem he is now in, said there is a way to not have to follow the Islamic law proclaiming death to this man. That is, he can be declared to be mentally unstable, you know insane, for converting to Christianity.
Such a simple solution to the problem. Of course this man is insane. Such a simple solution. What's the fuss? What are they waiting for?
On Tuesday I posted the blog, "Is this for Real? Death for Converting from Islam to Christianity?? I said I was waiting for George Bush to speak out on this. I had my doubts but my God here was a true Christian facing possible death for converting from Islam to Christianity and where was George?
So this afternoon as I'm driving I hear this update on Seattle's KUOW station that Bush has actually said something. He's "deeply troubled" .
I was really wondering if this poor man was going to sacrificed because the President was afraid to speak out. After all, while Afghanistan is like an American colony right now, still we need to maintain the illusion that the Afghans can decide their own laws and justice, including for people who are non-believers.
This fellow's sin was that he converted from Islam to Christianity. And the law in Afghanistan said that is a crime punishable by death. Now this man did not kill anyone or even cause bodily injury to someone.
But speaking out against Islamic religious law might offend people of the Islamic faith in Afghanistan and elsewhere and George could be threatened with death for questioning the Islamic religion. Islamic religious fanatics would scream that he was intolerant of their religion.
But is this religion? Is the world community ready to turn a blind eye on a supposed religious law of condemning someone to die because they choose another religion? This is religious terrorism.
George has to choose his words carefully. So he is "deeply troubled". But I think he needs to be more than deeply troubled. He needs to be involved and say that this is not acceptable and the United States can not accept it and rally other countries to say it is not acceptable. I'm sure some of this is being done quietly behind the scenes as Bush is swearing.
Because this is deeply embarrassing. Because why are we fighting in Afganastan and Iraq if in the end if governments and religious laws support barbaric practices like this.
George needs to talk directly to Afghan President Harmid Karzai and tell him that the world community will likely turn against Islam if this man is killed for his beliefs. He needs to say that continued US support of his government is dependent on this law being abolished.
Sure, most everyone is now afraid to speak out after the Danish cartoon riots but I think many people realize those riots were inflamed and supported by certain Islamic governments and fanatics to intimidate other nations and religions. And it worked so far.
But fighting religious intolerance goes both ways. And for any Islamic country to kill someone for not being Islamic or freely choosing another religion is the height of intolerance. It is a form of terrorism and needs to be called such.
So on KUOW the newcast said that the prosecutor of this case, realizing I guess the extreme problem he is now in, said there is a way to not have to follow the Islamic law proclaiming death to this man. That is, he can be declared to be mentally unstable, you know insane, for converting to Christianity.
Such a simple solution to the problem. Of course this man is insane. Such a simple solution. What's the fuss? What are they waiting for?
Posted by Steve Zemke at 6:53 PM | Permanent Link
2 Comments:
While I agree with your premise, let's also not forget that Christianity had its share of religious intolerance. Consider that 500 years wasn't that long ago, either.
Your comment is well taken. I have in fact noted this in my previous post on this issue.
Christians have their own closet of horrors - like the Inquisition, burning heretics at the stake and the Crusades.
My concern is that, after the inflamed charges of intolerance of Islam because of some Danish "cartoons", that people would be afraid to speak out against the hypocrisy here.
In that case Islamic people were claiming that drawing about Islam or Muhammad was religious intolerance. In this instance Muslims are saying it is a basic tenet of Islam that someone that converts to another religion should be put to death and that is O.K. I say it is barbarian, it is not just intolerance. There is no comparison between drawing a cartoon and a eath sentence.
That is not a policy the civilized world can tolerate or accept. It is Islam that is showing its true colors of intolerance.
They are the ones trying to say that Islam trumps basic human rights, including your right to choose your religion. That's a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It doesn't matter that the person converted to Christianity except that if it was to any other religion I doubt Bush and others would have bothered to say much of anything.
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