Abdul Rahman: Christian

Lots about Abdul Rahman, the Afghani whose conversion to Christianity has led to possible execution, in the news today:

AP: Pressure Grows to Free Afghan Convert
AFP: Afghan Christian 'likely to be released soon': official
Reuters: Outcry rises over Afghan Christian convert

My Previous Posts:
Dying for Christianity
Rally for a Christian

Michelle Malkin has more excellent coverage.

This Reuters story actually compares our reactions to the possible execution of a Christian to the reaction of the Muslim world over the Mohammed cartoons.

Afghan convert controversy mirrors cartoons row

First paragraphs:

ROME (Reuters) - The strong Western response to a threatened death sentence for an Afghan convert to Christianity looks something like a mirror image of the Muslim reaction to the Prophet Mohammad caricatures printed in the European press.

There have been no riots or sackings of Afghan embassies, unlike the violence that marked the uproar in Muslim countries after the Danish cartoons were published, but the shock and mutual incomprehension expressed in both cases are similar.

As one of the character played by Danny Kaye in White Christmas sometimes says, "Pushing, pushing."

The writer of this piece is right in noting that there have been no riots or sackings of Afghan embassies, but the attitude is completely wrong. In no way is our reaction to possible death for converting to Christianity equal or similar to the wild, violent riotings of the Muslims over little cartoons (which you can see here). In this current case, a MAN could be put to death because he is a Christian. In the other case, people died because Muslims didn't like a few drawings. See the difference? If you can't, then you're probably a Liberal or a Muslim.

If this were a "mirror image" to the Mohammed Cartoons controversy, we all would be burning Afghan embassies, creating huge mobs in all the streets, going through Muslim homes and destroying property, and murdering people. I haven't seen any of that happening. It certainly happened over some ink and paper.

And then this:

The difference lies in the issues at stake. In the cartoons row, Muslims stressed the sanctity of Mohammad, whom they say nobody -- even non-Muslims -- can criticize. The subtext was resentment against perceived Western prejudice against Islam.

Yes, the difference is plainly visible: the Muslims rioted over INK and PAPER, while we are upset over the possible EXECUTION OF A MAN FOR BECOMING A CHRISTIAN. And does it really matter why the Muslims rioted? They seem to do it at the drop of a newspaper editorial page. And why care what they say? They believe it is alright to blow oneself up, along with a crowd of innocent people, for Allah. You don't see any mainstream Christians doing that. Watch out, I'm going to criticize the most wonderful founder of blasted Islam! Mohammad was a brutal, wicked man. So there.

The rest of the article details reactions from around the world:

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.

No kidding, Europe. That's why we're fighting these wars! Catch up! You're being over-run!

More news as it happens.

Update:
Over at The Corner, Andy McCarthy has posted a BBC Report in full because, he writes, it is "too mindblowing on its own to require commentary."

Plus, make sure you check out Stop the ACLU's Open Trackback Party. They will have lots of great links to great posts this weekend.