Christian convert Abdul Rahman: Still a marked man

Remember Abdul Rahman, the Christian convert who fled Afghanistan and found safety in Italy after Muslim mobs demanded he be killed for abandoning Islam?

Well, while the rest of the world has forgotten about Rahman, the sharia-embracers and Koran-thumpers who believe all apostates should be murdered have not forgotten Rahman’s “insult.”

They’ve kidnapped an Italian journalist and are demanding that Rahman be handed over to them in exchange for the journalist’s life:

The kidnappers of an Italian journalist in Afghanistan have offered to free him in exchange for a Christian convert who fled the country, an aid agency says.

Photojournalist Gabriele Torsello was seized last week while travelling on a bus in southern Afghanistan.

The kidnappers will free Mr Torsello, a Muslim convert, if Abdul Rahman returns from Italy where he was granted asylum earlier this year, the aid agency says.

Mr Rahman had escaped a possible death sentence for becoming a Christian.

He had been charged with rejecting Islam and released this March after being deemed mentally unfit to stand trial on a charge of apostasy.

Fearless truth-teller Robert Spencer excoriates the ignorant and the deceivers on the apostasy issue:

Abdul Rahman, you may recall, converted from Islam to Christianity and was spirited to Italy when Afghanistan’s brave new democratic government determined to obey Muhammad’s command to kill those who leave Islam (cf. Bukhari 4.52.260). Now jihadists in Afghanistan are demanding his return in exchange for a kidnapped Italian journalist.

And meanwhile, Islamic apologists in the U.S. blandly claim that Islam has no death penalty for apostasy, and call me “Islamophobic” for pointing out that it actually does (Salam Al-Maryati of MPAC did this to me on the Medved show not long ago, and it has happened elsewhere also). This illustrates the hollowness of the arguments we hear all the time about how we must support self-proclaimed moderate Muslims by refraining from noting the flimsiness and weakness of their presentations. While we’re being polite to alleged “reformers,” Muslim hardliners are cheerfully implementing the elements of Islamic law that we’re nodding our heads and agreeing don’t exist.

Spencer’s Truth About Muhammad, like all his books, is an absolute must-read. Clueless members of Congress and our intelligence agencies ought to be forced to read them all.

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Previous:

Many more Abdul Rahmans
Abdul Rahman update
Abdul Rahman has landed
Abdul Rahman: Safe for now
Abdul Rahman “vanishes”
Abdul Rahman seeks asylum
Abdul Rahman to be released
Steyn on Rahman and Islam
What are you praying for?
The religion of pieces
Condi Rice calls Karzai
Free Abdul Rahman
Canada supports Abdul Rahman
Rally for Abdul Rahman
Bush: “Deeply troubled”
Video: “I am not an apostate”
Who will save Abdul Rahman?
“We will cut him into little pieces”
Save Abdul Rahman
A Christian on trial