If you've been wondering when truly civilized Muslims are going to stand up and condemn the barbarians, it may have just happened in Australia. According to the Sydney Morning Herald,

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils said the prosecution of Abdul Rahman in Afghanistan was "barbaric" and "un—Islamic". Spokesman Haset Sali called on the Australian Government to see if the Afghan prosecutors could be charged with crimes against humanity unless the religious charges against Mr Rahman were dismissed. "Such barbaric action by anyone seeking to quote Islam as supporting their criminal action needs to be dealt with as a crime against humanity," Mr Sali said. He said the Koran stated there must be "no compulsion in religion". "The prosecution of Mr Rahman, seeking the death penalty against him for converting to Christianity is reminiscent of the fascist era that caused the Second World War and the pointless death of 55 million people."

Mr Sali said Afghans should respect the sanctity of life."

Hear, hear. Let's hope it's the first of a great wave of protest against fanaticism among Muslims, especially those in leadership positions. That's all it will take to defeat the bug—eyed radicals who claim to speak for a billion other people.

There's plenty of violence in traditional scriptures. The Bhagavat—Gita is the tale of a war between cousins, in which Shiva advises the hero Arjuna to go ahead and go to battle against his own family. The ancient Hebrews fought many wars, as did all ancient peoples we know about. There is a lot of wisdom in millenia of history, and there are many things we no longer accept. Islam must choose which parts of its scriptures to celebrate, and which parts to quietly consign to the past.

Fanatics like Ahmadinejad of Iran may be dreaming of a fiery Armageddon. Not many other Muslims would agree. But if they don't act, the lunatics may get their way.

James Lewis   3 26 06