Snowballin’

It’s growing. And thank God for that.

**updates at 9:15pm MST** New Links in second section of post…

Yahoo News Story with the headline “Western, Muslim worlds clash again over religion” No kidding! -ed

Excerpts from this story:

ROME (Reuters) – Western political leaders and the media have reacted with mounting indignation to the news that a Kabul court threatened to impose the death sentence on an Afghan man who abandoned Islam and coverted to Christianity. Two months ago, political and religious leaders in the Muslim world were rounding on Western European media and governments for printing and defending caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad that they considered blasphemous.

The cases are clearly different. Western leaders from President George W. Bush down have spoken up to save the life of a man whose religious freedom is a universal human right which his judges say is secondary to Islamic law. In the cartoons case, demonstrators sacked Western embassies in Damascus and Beirut, lives were lost in unrest and Muslim leaders demanded apologies and curbs on Western press freedom.

If by different they mean less violence and more diplomacy, then yes. We haven’t killed anyone over this matter. I’m also glad to see this issue snowballing on the Muslim World. The Religon of Peace is most definitely leaning into the oxymoronic sector. This whole idea that “most muslims” are peaceful is starting to rub me the wrong way. After experiencing the Madness of the Taliban, the Crazytalk of Iran, The LoonySpeak of the Cartoon Reaction and now this? Honestly, I’m starting to wonder. Most people in the conservative blogsphere have already declared Muslims a violent and angry people. I’m not so quick to jump on that part of the bandwagon because I’ve seen much, but I’m still one of those “on the fence” guys that you probably just shake your head at because he’s an idiot.

More qoutes and related links from the story below with my commentary.

Also, Madam Michelle Malkin is keeping the pulse on this story. Our Sec. Of State made a phone call. Check out what she says here.

They’re also trying to declare the guy insane even though I can tell you I’ve talked exactly like the “crazy” Afgan man myself, so I guess I’m headed for the funny farm. Can’t be talking carazy around people or they just might get offended and haul me off for a good ole’ killin. Oh wait, that was too much biting sarcasm. I guess I’m just amazed this occurs in places. Places we have a heavy presence. But (there always is one), we’ve got some more on Afghan Christians, once more from Michelle Malkin. I feel like a parrot repeating her links, but dang it she’s got some good stuff

A link with info on Christians in Afghan and some more on them as well here and then some talk about secret christians here.

Links to other Blogs as well: A Blog For All, and also Ordinary Everday Christian has the news conference with both the White House and the State Department with some telling commentary. Dawn Patrol is firmly following this as well.Folks, these are links you need to read. If you don’t I cry for you ability to read and disseminate the news of the world.

Yahoo News Story Continued Below….

Some critics suggested NATO states withdraw their troops from Afghanistan. A few even suggested that Western troops kidnap Abdur Rahman and bring him along when they leave. “The case is more than deeply troubling, it’s barbaric,” wrote the New York Times. “If Afghanistan wants to return to the Taliban days, it can do so without the help of the United States.”

Among the strongest critics are evangelical Christians in the United States, a core constituency that has backed Bush so far on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. “How can we congratulate ourselves for liberating Afghanistan from the rule of jihadists only to be ruled by Islamists who kill Christians?” Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council asked.

Another leading figure, Charles Colson, said: “If we can’t guarantee fundamental religious freedoms in the countries where we establish democratic reforms, then the whole credibility of our foreign policy is thrown into serious question.” Canada’s top Anglican prelate, Archbishop Andrew Hutchinson, said of the Islamic punishment for apostasy that Rahman faces: “I’m absolutely horrified to think that this kind of fanatical literalism would be applied in this day and age.”

BITTER COMMENTARIES

European newspapers ran bitter commentaries. Munich’s Sueddeutsche Zeitung said Kabul was “tolerant like the Taliban.” Die Welt in Berlin wrote that Afghanistan faced “the dark ages of barbarity” if it executed Rahman.

“We have a duty not to cooperate in bringing back the burning of heretics at the stake,” the Dutch daily Trouw wrote. Milan’s Corriere della Sera said Western states helping Afghanistan should launch a movement to reform Islam there. In Denmark, Jyllands-Posten, the daily that first ran the Prophet Mohammad cartoons, quoted Syrian-born member of parliament Naser Khader as saying: “If necessary, Danish troops should liberate Abdur Rahman and Denmark should offer him asylum.

“This matter underlines that sharia (Islamic law) must be fought wherever it exists,” he said. France’s Marianne magazine made clear Western critics might not be satisfied if the Kabul court arranges to avoid the death sentence by declaring Rahman insane and unfit for trial. “If he is not tried, he will probably end up in a psychiatric hospital, which for a man of sound mind is sometimes worse than death,” it commented.