Given this weekend’s developments, Polimom feels the need to add a bit more commentary to Friday’s post about Abdul Rahman (the Afghani who converted to Christianity).
In the comments, some pointed out that charges have been dropped. Polimom believes that is not only a somewhat premature statement, it’s utterly irrelevant. A government that bases its rule of law on religion – particularly an intolerant and fundamentalist interpretation – is the antithesis of the values for which the western world strives. As one commenter pointed out, this is precisely why church and state require separation.
It is, however, their right – Afghanis, Palestinians, Cubans, or Venezuelans – to choose their own governments. Whether the United States is truly trying to spread democratic values of freedom and tolerance, is after The Oil, or is on a modern-day Crusade doesn’t really matter in this context (though it matters a lot to me, personally). Their choice is the bottom line.
A last point Polimom wishes to bring forward surrounds the evangalistic and/or missionary Christians who somehow think they are furthering their own faith by flitting over to the Muslim world. From CNN this morning:
Asked if U.S. Christian missionaries should be encouraged to go to Afghanistan, Rice told NBC: “I think that Afghans are pleased to get the help that they can get” but added “we need to be respectful of Afghan sovereignty.”
If someone is dumb enough to go to Afghanistan with some ultimate goal of “spreading Christianity”, they probably don’t need encouragement. If they went there, they expected (and possibly even hoped) to become martyrs.
What they really need is proof-positive of paid-up burial insurance.