The Incompatibility of Islam and Democracy
24 Mar 2006
Abdul Rahman, a 41-year-old Afghan who converted to Christianity 15 years ago, is on trial for his life. He is charged with the crime of apostasy, which under Afghanistan’s Shariah law is punishable by death. According to the Koran, anyone who apostatizes from the Islamic faith is to be put to death (Surah 4:89; 9:12-14). The Koran additionally teaches that no other religion is to be permitted except Islam (Surah 3:85), that everyone is to be forced to convert to Islam (Surah 9:5), that the only exceptions are Jews and Christians who may retain their faith as long as they remain under submission and pay a heavy poll-tax (Surah 9:29), and that the penalty for resisting Islam is death, crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet (Surah 5:33).
Having freed Afghanistan from the tyrannical Taliban at the cost of American blood and taxpayer dollars, President Bush has issued a statement that the United States expects Afghan officials in Rahman’s case to “honor the universal principles of freedom.” Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has told Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah, whose name means “the servant of Allah,” that killing Rahman for becoming a Christian is “contrary to universal democratic values.” Duh! Despite Rice and Bush’s bloviating, Sean McCormack, a State Department spokesman, has admitted that Rahman’s fate “is clearly an Afghan decision,” since Afghanistan is “a sovereign country.”
Diplomats are reporting that Afghan officials, in response to U. S. criticism of their handling of Rahman’s case, are scurrying to find a way to satisfy their country’s deep pocketed benefactor without inciting a national Muslim uprising. Perhaps, Afghan authorities have recently tipped their hand with their suggestion that Rahman is mentally ill. By convincing their country’s Muslim population that the only explanation for Rahman’s conversion to Christianity is insanity, they can spare Rahman’s life on the grounds that the poor deranged imbecile is incompetent to stand trial for his apostasy. America, especially the Bush Administration, will be spared an embarrassing black eye and Afghanistan’s Muslim population will be able to contribute all Christian conversions to madness.
Unfortunately for Rahman, this clever ploy of Afghan officials is not playing well in the country’s mosques. Hamidullah, chief cleric at Hajj Yacob Mosque, insist that Rahman “is not crazy,” but that the “government is [simply] scared of the international community.” Abdul Raoulf, a moderate Muslim cleric and respected member of Afghanistan’s main Islamic organization, is accusing the government of “playing games.” According to Raoulf, the people of Afghanistan “will not be fooled.” Sitting in a courtyard outside Herati Mosque, Raoulf promised that if the government released Rahman, Muslim leaders like himself would “call on the people to pull him into pieces so there’s nothing left.”
To Abdul Raoulf, “rejecting Islam is insulting Allah.” Thus, all who reject Islam must have their heads cut off. Only by decapitating apostates can Muslims keep Allah from being “humiliated.” Moderates like Raoulf believe that all who insult their god by rejecting their faith “must die.” If this is what the moderates believe, just imagine what the radicals think. Irregardless, democracy and Islam is about as compatible as the KKK and NAACP.
Don Walton
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