Ayman al—Zawahiri has extended the hand of Muslim compassion to the entire population of the United States and invited us all to convert to Islam as seen in this story among many others. Apparently, if we accept his invitation, we will be spared the Wrath of God.

I would like to extend an invitation to Mr. Zawahiri to convert to Christianity, any flavor of his choosing. Admittedly, my offer does not promise even a single virgin in heaven if he should die in a suicide attack on non—Christians. Indeed, such acts are discouraged by Christians under any conceivable condition. As far as I know, it is also discouraged by every other major religion except for Islam. What heavenly benefits are promised to Christians are, to the best of my layperson knowledge, invariably acquired without breaking any commandments.

On the other hand, the prayer and fasting requirements are not as stringent for Christians as they are for Muslims. Dress codes are more relaxed, and there haven't been any significant shooting wars between Christian factions over religious differences for a very long time. Should he not find Christianity to his liking, despite all of these aforementioned perks, perhaps some other great religion would welcome him.

The most striking difference is, of course, that there is no threat associated with my offer. He can choose to decline my invitation without fear of any sort of wrath being delivered upon him. Whether he could accept it without fear of wrath being inflicted on him by his former brethren in faith is another question.

Mr. Zawahiri will likely decline my invitation for much the same reason that I will decline his. That reason is based on the question of just who it is that decides who is spared the Wrath of God; God, or some guy living in a cave in Central Asia.

Tom Bruner  9 04 06