Islam, Christianity and insanity

The story of Abdul Rahman, the Afghan convert to the New Testament, is now well-covered. (I think I may have been the first blogger to pick up in it.) The pressure from our government seems to have convinced the Afghani court system to avoid offing the poor man, which avoids a bad end for Mr. Rahman (which is good) and avoids the full weight of the realization of the yet-unconfronted culture clash we have been papering over for four years (which probably isn't) -- but only temporarily.

One of the many revealing things about this case is the lack of reaction to the means by which Rahman was spared. As best as I can tell, they essentially ruled him unprosecutable because he is insane. Think about that for a minute. How do Falwell, Robertson and their followers square their support for their president's New and Improved Afghanistan with their attitude toward Christianity? Isn't Afghanistan calling them all bonkers, simply by virtue of their religion? The dissonance ought to be rather painful.

But the respite bought by Rahman's furlough will likely be brief. Muslim clerics are calling for Rahman's death. He is now in hiding. If he is killed, the issue comes back with a vengeance. If he flees Afghanistan, (a) he may still end up getting whacked, and (b) either way, the issue of fundie Islam and religious freedom ought to stay on the front burner.

Which would, in a just and sane world, lead to a discussion of fundie Christians as well. And maybe that's why they have been so quiet on this one.