Religion of Peace update: "little pieces" edition

Ever since 9-11, advocates of Islam have been working overtime to convince the world that it's only the Islamofascists who are misinterpreting the Qu'ran and distorting the words of the prophet Mohammed. They say that it's only the radicals who are intolerant of all other religions and want to murder every so-called infidel who won't convert to Islam. They say "mainstream" Muslims are peaceful. And that Islam is a "religion of peace."

Then news like this breaks out. And blows their story all to hell.

The Chicago Tribune reported earlier this week:

Abdul Rahman told his family he was a Christian. He told the neighbors, bringing shame upon his home. But then he told the police, and he could no longer be ignored.

Now, in a major test of Afghanistan's fledgling court system, Rahman, 42, faces the death penalty for abandoning Islam for Christianity. Prosecutors say he should die. So do his family, his jailers, even the judge. Rahman has no lawyer. Jail officials refused to let anyone see Rahman on Monday, despite permission granted by the country's justice minister.

Ah, that's the kind of peaceful Islam we just haven't seen yet, right? The way Muslims treat non-Muslims when they're in charge and able to do things the way the Qu'ran instructs under Sha'ria law?

Nice. Sounds like a Muslim version of Hotel California: you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

"We will cut him into little pieces," said Hosnia Wafayosofi, who works at the jail, as she made a cutting motion with her hands. "There's no need to see him..."

..."He is my son," said (Abdul Manan, Rahman's father), crying. "But if a son does not care about the dignity of his family, the dignity of his father, God can take him away. You cannot make anything out of such a son. He is useless."

Yep, if someone chooses a different religion, he's useless. That's tolerance, eh? Not just that, but the father wants God to "take him away," whatever that means. What a nice, loving home that must be.

Prosecutor Abdul Wasi said Rahman had been told repeatedly to repent and come back to Islam, but Rahman refused. Wasi called Rahman a traitor.

"He is known as a microbe in society, and he should be cut off and removed from the rest of Muslim society and should be killed," Wasi told the court.

Rahman said he had surrendered himself to God. "I believe in the holy spirit," he said. "I believe in Christ. And I am a Christian."

Judge Ansarullah Mawlawizada, who is handling the case, said he normally takes two months to decide on cases. But because this case is so serious, he expected to hold another hearing within the next week and make a decision.

Mawlawizada, who kept Rahman's green Bible on his desk, said he respected all religions. He emphasized that he did not favor the aggressiveness of the Taliban, who cut the hands and feet off criminals in a soccer stadium. But he said Rahman had to repent.

"If he doesn't regret his conversion, the punishment will be enforced on him," the judge said. "And the punishment is death."

Yep, that's respect, alright. Respect for all religions. Respecting all religions by murdering their practitioners if they're not Muslim. Is that the kind of respect we should have for Islam, too? Oh wait, I forgot, we're not even allowed to question Islam, let alone do anything that could even remotely be considerent inconvenient for Muslims, cause that's racism, right?

Seriously though, is this the kind of treatment we can expect from "mainstream" Muslims, were they to ever become the majority here in America?

President Bush has totally pussed out on this (video at The Political Pitbull). No big surprise, but very disappointing nonetheless.

I'm troubled when I hear, deeply troubled when I hear, the fact that a person who has converted away from Islam may be held to account. That's not the universal application of the values that I talked about. I look forward to working with the government of that country to make sure that people are protected in their capacity to worship.

"...held to account..."? WTF? Don't puss out now, Mr. President. Clearly, Muslims don't like this kind of publicity about Islamic law, and additional exposure and international pressure might actually save Rahman's life.

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UPDATE: Michelle Malkin has details on a rally for Abdul Rahman outside the Afghan embassy in Washington.

Interesting thought: What do you think would be the reaction of the Muslim world if America or Israel or Britain decided to execute someone simply for changing their religion to Islam?

UPDATE: Because of the negative publicity, Afghanistan now seems to be angling toward an excuse to let Rahman go without Afghan president Hamid Karzai - and Islamic law - losing face. (h/t: The Jawa Report)

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