http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/20/afghanistan.violence/index.html

Taliban spokesmen in Afghanistan said that a foreign aid worker there was killed because she was preaching Christianity to people in that country.



Last edited by thrice on Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:03 pm; edited 1 time in total

The Taliban may well be using that as a justification for killing the woman, but if she had been evangelizing as stated, she has less common sense than a chipmunk.

No one should be killed because of their religious beliefs, and I do feel for the family of this woman but we have also seen a pattern of evangelists and missionaries traveling to war torn and rigidly controlled countries with hopes of saving folks both physically and spiritually.

Please, please, please...could we somehow get the message through to people doing this valuable work that in countries like Afghanistan you need to keep your mouth shut when tempted to evangelize. You will not become a martyr, you will simply be dead and make the job of those who follow you that much harder. And if that thought does not sway you, perhaps the vision of what your death will do to your family might bring the message home.

Help all you wish, but do not give into the temptation to "save souls".

"The Taliban may well be using that as a justification for killing the woman, but if she had been evangelizing as stated, she has less common sense than a chipmunk."

In practical terms, your observation is correct.

However, I would ask that the logic be taken to its proper conclusion.

People who believe that the Taliban and others like them, who have clearly stated their intention to convert the world to their beliefs, and kill those who refuse to embrace it, are not a threat to the world as a whole have less sense than the acorns that chipmunks gather. Particularly if and when they realize their ambition of acquiring nuclear arms, assuming they haven't already.

Who doesn't think the Taliban is a threat to the world as a whole?? Maybe you mean liberals? I think the difference between liberals and conservatives is not their perception of Islamo-fascism as a threat, but in their perception of the best way to fight it. Being diverted from the central front in Afghanistan, using an excess of force and a dearth of aid, etc... these are the points of division. Yes, I disagree with the bumper sticker I read about that says, "Kill 'em all and let Allah sort 'em out." If that's what you mean.

I just read a fantastic book called Three Cups of Tea. It's about a true American hero: Greg Mortenson, who has dedicated his life to building secular schools for impoverished children in rural areas of Pakistan. Schools for kids who would otherwise be lured by the hundreds of madrassas the Saudis have built in the same areas over the past 2 decades. THAT's how you fight terrorism at the root. It's a shame so many want to wait until the weeds are full-blown then just drop bombs on them. A little precision and insight could have done wonders to address the causes before it ever got to this point.

as I recall I never said I didn't believe the Taliban was a threat. They are an immense threat both worldwide and in that region. However, I don't believe that aid workers should be allowed in if they cannot see the folly of trying for converts in a war zone.

I agree with thrice that our attention has been diverted, and I think deliberately so, to a front with a better chance of a perceived "victory" than the capture of Osama. I don't doubt that we could locate and take the fellow and his people out, but I do think that money and our "frends", the Saudis have a lot to do with our re-focus from Osama to Iraq.

Interesting that you mention "Three Cups Of Tea". My wife read that book, and attended a presentation by its author. We have a collection box for "Pennies For Peace" sitting on our kitchen counter accumulating change.

I agree that addressing the root causes of violent fundamentalist Islam is important. But I also maintain that we have a responsibility to show courage here and take a stand. We can seek all the diplomatic and cross cultural communication that we want, but when it comes to our shores, the obligation is clear. We need to make it crystal clear that our society values toleration of different religious beliefs, and that we will not tolerate adherents of Islam or any other religion ignoring our laws or attempting to impose their own religious beliefs on others here due to some ill conceived notion of "cultural respect". If we truly respected cultures without regard for value judgements, ritual incest, female circumcision, and putting old folks on melting ice floes to die would be accepted here, too.

This isn't an issue of "What Happens In Afghanistan, Stays In Afghanistan". We are seeing a steadily mounting trickle of cultural bullying by Muslim immigrants here. A recent example that comes to mind is the Meditation Room at Normandale Community College, in which Muslim students have essentially bullied other students into abandoning the non-denominational space and turning it into a sexually segregated on-campus mosque.

It's also clear, based on the profiles we have obtained on terror and suicide attack suspects, that many of them are neither poor nor uneducated. On the contrary, a number of the most devastating and effective attackers are both wealthy and well-educated. How they chose to throw their lot in with vicious murdering fanatics is not explained by the "want" theory, and difficult to understand in any light.