Intolerance!

Abdul Rahman, a Afghani citizen, at the age of 40, was accused of apostasy and held on trial by the Afghan courts. Afghanistan is an Islamic country, and a really strict one! Changing your religion from Islam to another or to nihilism or atheism , means that indirectly you are claiming(even if you are not, it doesn’t matter, after all according to you the other religion or atheism is better than Islam, which is not to be accepted by the Islamists and moderate Muslims. This incident is not unusual in the Islamic countries like Afghanistan.Even if some Islamic countries, don’t hang you or hold you on trials(until you agree to keep your intellectual genius shut inside your infidel or apostate’s sinful body), the general public won’t let you live.Well, in Pakistan the situation is much better than countries like Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.I won’t be hanged or held on trials because of being atheist, but general public hardly accepts you as you are, after you have become apostate. In my earlier school, The Lahore Alma, I had a history/Geography teacher who used to be really fun. Sometimes, we had intellectualArguments ad she used to tell me that I had BRAINZ. But recently , when I informed my ex-class fellows, I came to know that she became really irascible and told the class that I should meet her, and then – she will conver me back to Islam ,even if I don’t want to(of course she didn’t say it that seriously, but you can imagine her furore from the attitude just because I had rejected Islam). Up till now I have come acroos only two people , who have tried their level best to convert me back to Islam( until and unless they don’t get abusive and physical I believe they have right to do so).The point I am trying to establish is that people in Islamic countries have become so intolerant that now they are going to start executing infidels or apostates , just because they are apostates(doesn’t matter if they are harming anyone or not or if they are working night and day for the country).Why cant we be tolerant?Why does our morality and brotherhood and most of all love catches a full stop, the moment we come to know that the person we care about is a nihilist or an apostates.In countries like Afghanistan, being an Islamic apostate is the crime…but converting to Islam is a blessing…what kind of a rule is this?If Mullahs have the power to execute someone or hold someone on trial for converting to from Islam to Christianity, then Priests should also have the power to execute the Christians who convert to Islam.Of course I am not saying that this rule should be applied or else there’ll be more bloodshed than ever. What I am trying to say is that the utmost priority should be given to ‘Human Rights’ and not religion(if religion is in contradiction with Human rights than discard that religion).If Mullahs have the right to execute some one on the basis of being apostate of Islam, then why cant Rabbis and Priests execute the Christian and Jews,respectively. As the logic goes, if this rule is applied, then there’ll be more blood shed than ever, so the mediocre way would be to have a secular decision.That every human being be given the right to choose their faiths according to their will.And to take away the power from Mullahs to hold on trial the apostes for being apostates. The books of Karen Armstrong(which favours Islam a lot), he videos of Dr.Zakir Naik(which refute the other religions and goodness know on what silly logic) and many other orators and authors who favour Islam are popular in my homeland, Pakistan.But Taslima Nasreen, Ibn Warraq, Christopher Hitchen and even the great biologists like Richard Dawkin’s(who is credited with the achievement of coining the word ‘Memetic’ and coming up with it’s clever notion)books are not allowed to be sold in Pakistan( I didn’t take the name of Slaman Rushdie, because here I am pleading for the intellectuals, not fuss makers in the world, who have rotted sexual fantasies and so they make fun of religion using their sexual fantasies).They are completely banned.In Turkey , the translator and publisher of the Turkish version of Richard Dawkin’s ‘The God Delusion’ are hel on trials just because only one person was offended and became waspish after reading his work.Why not ban Dr.Zakir???When he speaks against Christianity and other religions and justifies his religion(although sometimes he is really logical but most of the time his logic is that of a 5th grader) just imagine how much the sentiment of those people’s are hurt. Leave the case of right or wrong, because for the fans of Dr.Zakir, his words are truth and for that of Taslima’s, hers are.If Ahmad Deedat’s video’s are sold in other countries like U.K and U.S.A , then why cant Richard Dawkin’s ‘The God Delusion’ be sold ere(who is an Englishman , by the way). If Dr.Zakir, has the access to the American public and that of Britain and Peter know what’s other countries, why can’t we have the access to orators and writers of other countries or other religions? Why can’t we have books, give clear-cut logical arguments against Qur’aan if we can have books have clear-cut logic against Bible, Torah and other religions and religious books? Just because we are in an Islamic society? That is like saying, ‘I am your father, and I am a muslim.hence you are a Muslim and you may not change your faith or else you are doomed! No matter what or how logical you are!’.All I am saying is that everyone should have access to the intellectual books of intellectuals whether that brilliant man is Dr.Zakir or Sam Harris.This way there’ll be more discussion and people will be able to see both sides f the arguments ,in favour and against , Islam or any concerned religion.What if Roman Catholic Church or the Anglican Church never taught or refused to teach the Christian children about Sun being stationary and not earth(just because it would go against Christianity)???And then, what if they won’t let the children access any literature or videos in favour of the ‘Sun-Is-Not-Stationary’ argument ??You wish lke giving them a slap? Same here(the only difference is that here the wish is to slap Mullahs).I hope I made my point clear.

Thanks
Usmann Rana
Lahore