The ACLJ has the very latest on Christian pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who faces the death penalty in Iran because he refuses to renounce his faith.

The mullahcracy has cooked up bogus charges that now include being a “Zionist” and traitor:

In a troubling development, Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s attorney, Mohammed Ali Dadkha, has acknowledged the possibility of the charges against him being changed. Recall, throughout the last two years and most recently at the Iranian Supreme Court, Pastor Nadarkhani was on trial for apostasy and nothing else. Now, as Fox News reported, the Iranian government is claiming that Pastor Nadarkhani was charged with a number of crimes including being a threat to national security and a Zionist, but not apostasy.

The charge of being a Zionist and thus a traitor, terms that imply he is some kind of spy for Israel and opponent of the Islamic Republic, is among the most serious accusations that can be made in Iran. Unfortunately, we know that this is the charge Iran levies to justify executing people who were actually arrested, imprisoned, and tried on completely different charges. While these new charges may be, as I said before, an attempt to deflect media and international attention, the fact that it is possible the Pastor could actually face these charges means that his life is in more danger now than it has been at any other time since the trial began.

It is also becoming more difficult to confirm that he is still alive. Throughout Pastor Nadarkhani’s two-year imprisonment, he has traditionally only been permitted to have one visitor per week. This is one barrier we have to overcome each day when we try to get solid confirmation that he is alive. We can confirm that our contacts in Iran have reported that as of yesterday evening, Pastor Youcef was still alive, but that is becoming more and more difficult to confirm each day.

More on the trumped-up charges via Fox News:

In a ruling from the Iranian Supreme Court obtained by FoxNews.com, Nadarkhani was sentenced to execution by hanging for breaking Islamic law by conducting Christian worship and baptizing himself and others.

Nowhere in the ruling is there a mention of these new charges, which were first reported by Iranian news agency FARS.

Nadarkhani’s lawyer, Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, says he has not received any of these new charges from the Supreme Court, according to the ACLJ.

“The opinions of these new charges come from the political branch. Not a single judicial figure, a prosecutor or member of the court has spoken to these new charges,” Dadkhah said through a translator.

Hello, U.N.? Hello, State Department?

The European Center for Law and Justice, an affiliate of the ACLJ and an non-governmental organization with consultative status at the U.N., is looking at taking action at the United Nations this week.

“We have not seen any new charges from the court,” an official for the U.S. State Department said. “We continue to seek additional information.”

If you haven’t signed the petition to save Nadarkhani, go here right now and spread the word.

***

Previous:

9/29 Iranian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani faces execution for refusing to renounce Christianity: Where are the Hollyweirdos and Euroweenies now?; Update: White House statement; Britain, EU stand up

9/30 Pastor Nadarkhani update: State Department, Boehner weigh in

As someone who attended services there, it seemed to me that in general, they don’t have faith so much as some nice sentiments and memories. Once a Church of England vicar told me that most educated British Anglicans don’t actually believe in the Virgin Birth anymore.

It’s sad if you’re a Christian just to see a branch of the Church wither. But even from a secular and political perspective this is a tragedy. The spiritual vacuum in Britain is being filled by Islam, some of which is militant, intolerant and dangerous, and much of which doesn’t seem particularly concerned with the militant, intolerant, and dangerous part.*

What’s more, Anglicanism at its best is a practical and reasonable faith, focused on history and apostolic roots, one that has given us the likes of Churchill and C.S. Lewis. Again, stepping back from particular doctrinal criticisms, what a great civilization a confident and strong CoE has birthed. Whether you agree with the 39 Articles or not, most societies could benefit from a few more old-school Anglicans. They’re usually good gardeners, know what wine goes with which meat, despise slavery, work well in teams, and can administrate households, colonies, or businesses with ease.

Surprisingly, there is one Church of England clergyman who seems to agree with that sentiment. Rather than resigning his flock to a shabby twilight of faith, Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali actually seems to think that there is a case to be made for attempting to convert people of other faiths to his:

Pakistan-born Dr Nazir-Ali told the Mail on Sunday that, while Church leaders had rightly shown sensitivity to British Muslims, “I think it may have gone too far.”

He added: “Our nation is rooted in the Christian faith and that is the basis of welcoming people of other faiths. You cannot have an honest conversation on the basis of fudge.”

Telegraph blogger Damian Thompson notes that the CoE response to Bishop Nazir-Ali’s proposals seems to be drawn from a very different playbook:

And did you notice the official Church of England response to the controversy? A spokesman said: “We have a mission-focused Christian presence [sic] in every community, including those where there are a large number of Muslims. That engagement is based on the provisions of Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which provides for freedom of thought, conscience and religion.”

Ah yes, Article 9. A much more agreeable document on which to base one’s “engagement” than the inconvenient demands of the New Testament.

These battles fought over Christian thought will affect the course of the world. If you think, by the way, that just because you don’t believe in a particular religion, you will not be affected by its conflicts and currents, I have a big hole in Manhattan to show you. The doctrines preached in our pulpits do and will affect our politics in ways both subtle and awesome, and for this reason we should keep a close eye on the strange paths taken by Christian clerics.

It seems strange to say so, but I believe our liberty depends on their decisions.

*To be fair, Catholicism has benefited greatly from the decline of the CoE as well.
_______________________

{Post by See-Dubya. More from me about Christianity in Europe at this Hot Air post.}

The Resurrection, El Greco

Happy Easter to all of you who celebrate this joyous day.

The messages from the Pope and newly baptized Magdi Allam, a Christian convert from Islam, say it all this morning:

The Pope has marked Easter Sunday with renewed calls for peace in Iraq, the Holy Land and Tibet.

A white canopy on the steps of St Peter’s Basilica protected the 80-year-old pontiff from downpours, while thousands of pilgrims, tourists and Romans under a sea of umbrellas braved thunder and rain to attend Easter Mass in the square.

At Easter, Christians celebrate their belief in the resurrection of Jesus two days after he was crucified. Thanks to the apostles’ preaching about the resurrection, “thousands and thousands of persons converted to Christianity”, Benedict said.

“And this is a miracle which renews itself even today,” the pope said, hours after a Saturday night Easter vigil service in which he baptised seven adults.

Allam’s conversion will set off the usual promptings of apostasy fatwas from the Religion of Perpetual Outrage:

The converts included Magdi Allam, a prominent journalist and commentator in Italy who has received death threats for his denunciations of Islamic fanaticism.

Allam, 55, deputy editor of Corriere della Sera newspaper, was born a Muslim in Egypt, but was educated by Catholics and says he has never been a practising Muslim.

He wrote in a front-page letter published on Sunday in Corriere that he was now taking on the middle name Cristiano – Christian in Italian.

He expressed his gratitude to Benedict, calling Saturday “the most beautiful day of my life”.

Allam wrote: “The miracle of the resurrection of Christ reverberated in my soul, freeing it from the shadows of a preaching where hate and intolerance toward he who is different, toward he who is condemned as an ‘enemy’, prevailed over love and respect for your neighbour.”

***

Catholics in Qatar worship in fear of retaliation by Muslims:

Qatar’s first Christian church has no cross, no bell and no steeple.

And when thousands of worshippers gather at Our Lady of the Rosary to mark Easter, they pray no one will notice.

“The idea is to be discreet because we don’t want to inflame any sensitivities. There isn’t even a signboard outside the church. No signs at all,” said Rev. Tom Veneracion.

For Qatar’s fledgling Roman Catholic community, the sprawling $15-million, dome-shaped building, a 15-minute drive into barren desert is a victory, built with the blessing of the current emir.

But critics in this devoutly Muslim country call it a desecration, with a militant website last week threatening retaliation against the congregation. One former politician has called for a national referendum to decide its fate.

Lahdan bin Issa al-Muhanada, a popular columnist in Doha’s Al-Arab newspaper, argues: “The cross should not be raised in the sky of Qatar, nor should bells toll in Doha.”

Abdul Hamid al-Ansari, the former dean of the Islamic law school at Qatar University, is among the church’s most staunch defenders, writing that having “places of worship for various religions is a fundamental human right guaranteed by Islam.”

Sitting in the offices of the modest portable that has doubled as his makeshift chapel for the past six years, Father Veneracion said he is bewildered by the dispute.

“It is confusing to us. We tried to be discreet and I think there’s an atmosphere generally in the Gulf that’s fairly anti-Christian, but that’s mainly to do with what’s happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has nothing to do with us at all,” said the priest, a slight, soft-spoken Filipino who seemed genuinely caught off guard by the controversy.

Oh, it has everything to do with us all.

Independent Conservative reports on a mass purge of Christian YouTubers.

You can still view the Lichfield Cathedral Choir performing “Jesus Christ is Risen Today:”

Back in April, I noted the brutal murders of three Christians who worked at a Bible publishing house in Turkey who had their throats slit by vengeful Muslims. The alleged killers exulted: “Let this be a lesson to the enemies of our religion.” The trial of the five accused murders began last month, but is dragging on. Now, Turkish media outlets are reporting on a chilling possible connection between the defendants and the police:

Turkey has launched an investigation into alleged collusion between police officers and at least one of the suspects charged with killing three Christians earlier this year at a publishing house that produces Bibles, an official said Saturday.

Two senior police inspectors will be assigned to investigate whether any officers provided assistance to the suspects, an Interior Ministry official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. He did not provide further details.

The three Christians – a German and two Turks – were killed in the southern city of Malatya on April 18. The killings – in which the victims were tied up and had their throats slit – drew international condemnation and added to Western concerns about whether Turkey can protect its religious minorities.

Five people were arrested and charged with murder. The trial opened last month, but was quickly adjourned until Jan. 14 because defence lawyers requested more time to prepare their arguments.

The Interior Ministry decided to open an investigation after several newspapers published stories Saturday alleging co-operation between police and at least one of the suspects.

Radikal newspaper quoted two of the suspects, Abuzer Yildirim and Salih Guler, as saying in their testimonies that a third suspect Emre Gunaydin told them that he had met with police officials and learned about the locations of Christian churches in the city.

“I asked him who are the police chiefs that you are speaking to, he said: ‘Don’t ask, take it easy,”‘ Radikal quoted Yildirim as saying.

CBN aired a report on the murdered Christians–two Turkish converts who left Islam and one German national–over the summer. Watch and remember what true religious martyrs look like:

The daughter of a British imam is living under police protection after receiving death threats from her father for converting to Christianity.

The 31-year-old, whose father is the leader of a mosque in Lancashire, has moved house an astonishing 45 times after relatives pledged to hunt her down and kill her.

The British-born university graduate, who uses the pseudonym Hannah for her own safety, said she renounced the Muslim faith to escape being forced into an arranged marriage when she was 16. She has been in hiding for more than a decade but called in police only a few months ago after receiving a text message from her brother. In it, he said he would not be held responsible for his actions if she failed to return to Islam.

Officers have agreed to offer her protection in case of an attempt on her life.

Last night the woman said: “I’m determined to live my life the way I want to because I should have that freedom in this country. “If you make the choice to come to this country, as my parents did from Pakistan, you have to abide by the laws of this country and that means respecting the freedoms of other people.

“I know the Koran says anyone who goes away from Islam should be killed as an apostate, so in some ways my family are following the Koran. They are following Islam to the word. “But I do not think every Muslim would act on that. “My situation is frightening, but I’m not going to let it frighten me to the extent I can’t live my life.

Paging the AWOL feminists:

A study this year found that 36 per cent of British Muslims between 16 and 24 believe those who convert to another religion should be punished by death.

In July an Iranian immigrant to Britain, who converted to Christianity, was saved from deportation after it emerged she would be stoned to death in her own country.

A group of young Muslim apostates launches a campaign today, the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, to make it easier to renounce Islam.

The provocative move reflects a growing rift between traditionalists and a younger generation raised on a diet of Dutch tolerance.

The Committee for Ex-Muslims promises to campaign for freedom of religion but has already upset the Islamic and political Establishments for stirring tensions among the million-strong Muslim community in the Netherlands.

Ehsan Jami, the committee’s founder, who rejected Islam after the attack on the twin towers in 2001, has become the most talked-about public figure in the Netherlands. He has been forced into hiding after a series of death threats and a recent attack.

The threats are taken seriously after the murder in 2002 of Pim Fortuyn, an antiimmigration politician, and in 2004 of Theo Van Gogh, an antiIslam film-maker.

Speaking to The Times at a secret location before the committee’s launch today, the Labour Party councillor said that the movement would declare war on radical Islam. Similar organisations campaigning for reform of the religion have sprung up across Europe and representatives from Britain and Germany will join the launch in The Hague today.

“Sharia schools say that they will kill the ones who leave Islam. In the West people get threatened, thrown out of their family, beaten up,” Mr Jami said. “In Islam you are born Muslim. You do not even choose to be Muslim. We want that to change, so that people are free to choose who they want to be and what they want to believe in.”

Mr Jami, 22, who has abandoned his studies as his political career has taken off, denied that the choice of September 11 was deliberately provocative towards the Islamic Establishment. “We chose the date because we want to make a clear statement that we no longer tolerate the intolerence of Islam, the terrorist attacks,” he said.

Blogs, including this one, rallied around Afghan apostate Abdul Rahman, who nearly lost his life for converting to Christianity before escaping to Italy. I’ve also blogged about the persecution of ex-Muslim apostate Lina Joy in Malaysia. And I praised the Committee for Ex-Muslims’ members in Britain in June.

More about Jami at USA Today.

Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers this 9/11 anniversary. And I repeat:

Find a way to show your support. These are the people putting their necks on the line for Western civilization. Literally.

The Taliban threatened to begin killing 23 South Korean hostages Monday evening if the government doesn’t free insurgents held in prison. The demands came as the U.S.-led coalition reported killing some 50 militants in southern Afghanistan’s poppy-growing heartland.

Khail Mohammad Husseini, a lawmaker from Ghazni province, where the Koreans are being held, said provincial leaders tried to meet with the kidnappers Monday but that they didn’t show. He said the Taliban increased their demands by telephone, saying all militant prisoners in Ghazni now had to be released.

Qari Yousef Ahmadi, who claims to speak for the militia, disputed that report, saying the Taliban were still demanding the release of 23 prisoners.

“If the government won’t accept these conditions, then it’s difficult for the Taliban to provide security for these hostages, to provide health facilities and food,” Ahmadi told The Associated Press by satellite phone. “The Taliban won’t have any option but to kill the hostages.”

Vinnie at The Jawa Report wonders: “Anyone have any ideas why they’d be so bold to use a traceable satellite phone and talk to the AP rather than the usual posting on jihadi websites and using personal couriers to Al Jazeera?”

***

And an update on the German hostages:

A German hostage kidnapped in Afghanistan has died while a second is still thought to be alive, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

“We have to assume at this point that one of the hostages has died in captivity,” Steinmeier told reporters in Berlin today. After analyzing all the information from the region, it appears that the hostage died of a heart attack and was not murdered, he said.

“We will do everything possible to save the life of the second hostage,” he said, noting that at least 18 South Koreans are also being held captive in Afghanistan after going missing on July 19.

Steinmeier was responding to reports that Taliban insurgents had captured and killed the two Germans after the Afghan and German governments failed to make contact for negotiations. Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi said yesterday that the two would be killed unless Germany withdraws its military forces from Afghanistan, news agency Deutsche Presse- Agentur reported.

The two Germans, who worked for a company in the capital Kabul, went missing in Wardag province, west of the capital Kabul on July 18, according to the Foreign Ministry. Both were engineers, news magazine Der Spiegel reported today. The dead man came from the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and suffered from diabetes, Spiegel said.

Merkel is refusing to cave:

The German government, which has deployed more than 3,000 troops in Afghanistan to help combat the Taliban, said last month that its military and humanitarian involvement in the country was causing a greater terrorism threat both in Afghanistan and at home. About 500 German civilian aid workers are also in Afghanistan.

Chancellor Angela Merkel postponed her “summer interview” with ARD television until tomorrow “because of the turn of events in Afghanistan,” ARD said in an e-mailed statement. Steinmeier said he is in regular contact with Merkel over the kidnappings.

Merkel said on July 18 that the country’s military forces should remain in Afghanistan and that lawmakers must back an extension of the parliamentary mandates for the troop deployment. A parliamentary vote is due some time in October.

***
In other Afghanistan news, U.S.-led forces killed a bunch of Taliban fighters. And Pakistan continues to negotiate with the non-negotiable.

Al Qaida’s No 2 has issued a new audiotape threatening to retaliate against Britain for having honoured novelist Salman Rushdie, a US-based intelligence monitoring group said.

Ayman al-Zawahri’s 20 minute speech was entitled Malicious Britain And Its Indian Slaves.

It was produced by as-Sahab, the multimedia wing of al Qaida, to be distributed to extremist websites, said the US-based SITE intelligence group, which monitors al Qaida messages.

The authenticity of the tape could not be independently confirmed.

Osama bin Laden’s deputy lashed out at Britain for having awarded a knighthood to Rushdie last month, saying it was defying the Islamic world by granting the honour to the author of The Satanic Verses, deemed to insult Islam.

A “very precise response” is in preparation to retaliate against this offence, al-Zawahri was quoted as saying by SITE.

SITE’s got details.

The deaf and blind will dismiss this latest episode of manufactured Muslim outrage as a marginal outburst. But Rushdie, the target of death threats dating back to 1988 over his book “The Satanic Verses,” has seen enough performances of Jihad Theater to take proper precautions. He has requested police protection after an Iranian group put a $150,000 bounty on his head. Forouz Raja’ee-Far, secretary general of the Headquarters for Honoring the Martyrs of Islam World Movement, offered the prize because, after all, “it is an obligation for all Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie even if he repents from the bottom of his heart and becomes the pious man of the time.”

What does the Council on American-Islamic Relations have to say? Their website has a special “incitement watch” and “action alerts” section for its (dwindling number of) members — but as of Tuesday afternoon, not a peep about the incitement of hatred and violence against Rushdie. They’ll eventually pay lip service to The Religion of Peace, but do not forget Rule No. 5 in the jihadi’s guide to etiquette: “You can lie if you do this for jihad.”

Pakistani government officials are bleating about the need for “interfaith understanding” and sensitivity. In Washington for meetings with the Bush administration, Pakistan’s foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri cooed: “When we talk of a globalized world, we have to be sensitive to each other’s concerns.”

As anyone with their eyes open through Rushdie’s ordeal, the deadly Mohammed cartoons riots, the calls for beheading the Pope, Oriana Fallaci, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and defiant, ex-Muslim apostates around the world knows: “Sensitivity” in the jihadi world is a one-way, dead-end street.

Former Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto bravely sticks her neck out for Rushdie. Meanwhile, British Muslims are joining the global jihad against the Queen for knighting Rushdie:

Muslims angered by Britain’s decision to honor author Salman Rushdie with a knighthood were rallying in London Friday, warning anger over the award could match the fierce reaction to publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in Denmark in 2006.

Organizers of a protest outside Regent’s Park Mosque, London, claimed several hundred demonstrators planned to denounce the decision to reward Rushdie, whose novel “The Satanic Verses” led to a death threat from Iran in 1989.

“This knighthood is just another example of Tony Blair and his government’s attempts to secularize Muslims and reward apostates,” said Anjem Choudray, protest organizer and an ex-head of the British wing of the banned radical group al-Muhajiroun.

“Rushdie is a hate figure across the Muslim world because of his insults to Islam,” Choudray said. “This honor will have ramifications here and across the world” just as with the protests over the Danish cartoon.

Snapped Shot has more photos of the simmering conflagration. Here’s my favorite expression of aggrievement. Break out your Kleenex:

More updates throughout the day. Those of you familiar with the professional protesters who came out for the Danish cartoon riots may remember Islamic Rage Boy:

Well, he’s baaack.

Allah takes a closer look at the Rushdie Rage gallery.

“Ex-Muslims” hoping to change the terms of debate about Islam in Europe will launch a British group in London on Thursday.

The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain will be the latest addition to groupings that began in Germany in February and spread to Scandinavia in May. A Dutch group will hold its launch in September.

The activists, many of them Iranian exiles, support the freedom to criticize religion and the end to what they call “religious intimidation and threats”.

“Too many things in the media and government policies have been geared to pandering to the political Islamic movements and Islamic organizations,” Maryam Namazie, head of the British group, told Reuters by telephone from London on Wednesday.

“I hope we’ll get a lot more attention and begin to change the debate,” said Namazie, who left Iran in 1980 after the Islamic revolution there.

Leaving Islam is considered a crime punishable by death in some Muslim-majority countries. Muslims in Europe practice their faith less than their co-religionists in the Middle East but few openly proclaim themselves apostates or atheists.

Sugiero has more on Maryam Namazie, including a few video interviews. Here’s one:

Her website is here.

Fellow dissidents Walid Shoebat and Aayan Hirsi Ali speak out here.

Find a way to show your support. These are the people putting their necks on the line for Western civilization. Literally.

If it’s Tuesday, it’s time for a Religion of Perpetual Outrage outbreak somewhere around the world. Pakistan continues to lead the war against Salman Rushdie’s knighthood:

Pakistan summoned the British ambassador on Tuesday and told him awarding a knighthood to author Salman Rushdie was insensitive and contrary to efforts to foster understanding between religions.

Rushdie, whose novel “The Satanic Verses” outraged many Muslims around the world, was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in Queen Elizabeth’s birthday honours list published on Saturday.

The Pakistani parliament passed a resolution on Monday deploring the knighthood, and the religious affairs minister said the honour could be used to justify suicide bombings. He later said he did not mean such attacks would be justified.

Britain said it was concerned about the minister’s comments and nothing could justify suicide blasts.

Pakistanis protested in several cities on Tuesday chanting “Death to Rushdie” and burning effigies of the Indian-born British author.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said British High Commissioner Robert Brinkley had been called in.

“He was told that Salman Rushdie has been a controversial figure who is known less for his literary contribution and more for his offensive and insulting writing which deeply hurts the sentiments of Muslims all over the world,” she said.

“Conferment of a knighthood on Salman Rushdie shows an utter lack of sensitivity on the part of the British government…”

… Aslam said the knighthood was resented by all Muslims.

“The British High Commissioner was further told that Pakistan deplores and regrets this decision which is contrary to our common objective of building inter-civilisational and inter-religious understanding and harmony,” she said.

And we all know what their definition of “inter-civilisational and inter-religious understanding and harmony” is. Remember?

Brian Ledbetter has a photo gallery of the fresh protests against Rushdie’s “insult.” They could use a spell-checker:

Will Britain defend itself or fold? So far, it has summoned up the guts to express “concern” over the Pakistain religion affairs minister’s comments. Make that “deep concern:”

Britain expressed its “deep concern” today at remarks made by a Pakistani government minister about the knighting of Sir Salman Rushdie as protests against the award continued among Islamic hardliners in Pakistan and Iran.

The British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Robert Brinkley, was summoned to meet officials in Islamabad to hear Pakistani objections to the honour but, according to a Foreign Office spokeswoman, relayed Britain’s own “deep concern” about comments made by the religious affairs minister, Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq, in the national assembly yesterday.

Mr ul-Haq appeared to justify a suicide bombing attack in response to Rushdie’s knighthood when he told Pakistani MPs that “if somebody has to attack by strapping a bomb to his body to protect the honour of the Prophet, then it is justified.” He later said he had been misunderstood.

Today Mr Brinkley “made clear the British Government’s deep concern at what the minister for religious affairs was reported to have said,” according the spokesman.

Danish cartoons publisher Flemming Rose, now a blogger at PJM, weighs in:

Unfortunately, too many people do not understand the serious consequences of misplaced respect for offended religious feelings. A prime example – the United Nation’s Human Rights Council’s passage of a scandalous resolution condoning state punishment of speech deemed insulting to religion, which helps regimes that silence criticism and crush dissent.

Where are all the fair-weather friends of free speech when you need them? Bryan Preston sums up Pakistan’s lead role in the Muslim war on Rushdie well:

Folks like these are a bullet or a bomb away from taking power in the world’s only acknowledged nuclear Islamic state. And it’s a state in which the religious affairs minister — pause over that government title for a second — justifies terrorism against a British subject, now knight, for the crime of blaspheming a religion in which the knight does not believe.

Adds Pakistan’s Foreign Minister:

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said Mr. Rushdie’s knighthood would hamper interfaith understanding and that Islamabad would protest to London.

I beg to differ: The reaction to Rushdie’s knighthood has enhanced my understanding of the religion of peace a great deal. Pakistani officials, secular and religious, are on the record deploring the British knighthood for Rushdie as “insensitive,” but silent on the 1989 Iranian fatwa that would have seen him murdered. That says quite a bit more about Islam and its adherents than they realize. Like the cartoon jihad, the knighthood jihad is a clarifying moment in history. Most in the West are sure to miss its meaning entirely.

Last August, I wrote about the plight of an ex-Muslim woman in Malaysia named Lina Joy. She had converted to Christianity and wanted to marry a Christian man. As the Abdul Rahman case made chillingly clear to the world, there are dire consequences for leaving Islam. Joy bravely went to court to stop being identified as a Muslim–and earned death threats and family disavowal for her apostasy. Now, the verdict is in. Sharia wins, Lina Joy loses:

“You can’t at whim and fancy convert from one religion to another,” Federal Court Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim said in delivering judgment in the case, which has stirred religious tensions in the mainly Muslim nation.

Muslims cheered:

The ruling was greeted by shouts of “God is great” from many in the assembled crowd outside the Palace of Justice in Kuala Lumpur…The Joy verdict, which will likely become a precedent for several other pending conversion cases, is seen by many in Malaysia as evidence of how religious politics are cleaving the nation, with a creeping Islamization undermining the rights of both non-Muslims and more moderate adherents to Islam. Last November, at a party conference for the Muslim-dominated United Malays National Organization ruling party, one delegate vowed he would be willing to “bathe in blood” to defend his ethnicity — and, by extension, his religion. In several Malaysian states, forsaking Islam is a crime punishable by prison time.

The Becket Fund has analysis here and here:

“This decision violates international law and stands in wrongheaded defiance of the universal human right to religious freedom,” said Angela Wu, International Director for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who attended a hearing for Ms. Joy and has testified before the United States Congress on anti-conversion laws. “International law and the Malaysia Constitution guarantee the right to choose your own religious beliefs and change those beliefs according to your conscience. Today the Federal Court made it clear that if the state says you are a Muslim, those rights don’t apply to you. Unfortunately, for Lina Joy, a universal human right has been trumped by the state’s insistence that she bow to sharia law.”

I ask again, as I asked last summer: Where are the feminists? Oh, and how about CAIR? Or our State Department?

Or shall we all just pretend Lina Joy does not exist and sing “Kumbaya?”

***

Reader Paul e-mails: “Sorry Michelle, but singing Kumbaya probably wouldn’t be allowed under Sharia law.”

True that.

***
Previous:

The persecution of Lina Joy
Legal background from the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship-Malaysia.
Ibn Warraq: Islam, Apostasy, and Human Rights

Iranian state security agents arrested 14 Christians in three cities on December 10, apparently to prevent them from celebrating Christmas and New Year, RFE/RL’s Radio Farda reported on December 17, citing the group Human Rights Activists in Iran. The group issued a December 16 statement to report the arrests in Tehran, Karaj — west of Tehran — and Rasht on the northern Caspian coast, though two of the arrested have been released, the broadcaster stated. Group member Sadeq Naqashkar told Radio Farda that those arrested are allegedly Christian converts.

And so as “converts” (or “apostates”) they may face capital punishment.

AS FOR THE DETENTION of six Iranian “diplomats” at the “consulate” which the Pentagon denies was a consulate today: think we’ll just let them go again?

Now here’s the kicker: most blogs are just people blowing off steam and noodling around. But “Isaac” used his blog to tell his story to the Immigration and Refugee Board. He actually submitted posts he had published there to show how his thoughts and his essence were at odds with Pakistan. He also showed the Board threats that commenters had left in order to show the sort of harassment and danger he would face. He also raised money for his legal fees through his blog.

I don’t want to excerpt too much of this–I’m tempted to give you the part where he actually cites Little Green Footballs in his hearing–but instead I’ll give you this bit from the hearing, bolded part his:

The RPO [Refugee Protection Officer]also asked me about life in Pakistan. “Can’t you live some place in Pakistan where you can be safe?”

“No.”

“Do you know the word “secular”?”

Hunh. “Yes.”

“Can’t you live as a secular Muslim in Pakistan?”

“I agree with the first part, the secular part, but I don’t agree with the second. I don’t want to behave like, and live as, a non-practicing Muslim or a secular Muslim when I’m not a Muslim!”

That was by far my most animated and passionate response.

It’s a great story on a great blog. Go read the rest of it, and offer him your congratulations.

UPDATE: Kind words from Schrodinger, who used to sneak a look at Michelle’s columns back in Saudi Arabia–until the Saudi internet filters blocked the “Jewish World Review” site “for the protection of you and your family”! Fortunately, Townhall got through.

What ever happened to Haleigh Poutre?

The state of Massachusetts almost murdered her. They deemed her “virtually brain-dead,” in a “vegetative state,” and not worth saving. Now, she is “bright-eyed and smiling,” responsive, and speaking a few words. This beautiful girl was nearly beaten to death by her father and stepmother–who were aided by an incompetent social services bureaucracy and a medical establishment convinced her life was a waste. Her mother and grandmother announced last week that they will battle to hold the bureaucracy accountable:

Child abuse victim Haleigh Poutre has regained the ability to speak, but outraged relatives said her tiny voice has been silenced by the state’s refusal to seek justice against social workers who failed to protect her.

During a press conference yesterday, Haleigh’s biological mother and grandmother announced a campaign to hold the Department of Social Services accountable for failing to stop the horrific beatings that left the girl brain damaged.

“Each step of the way I thought there would be such an uproar . . . and there would be all kinds of strong responses and actions from state (legislators), but the silence has been deafening,” said Susan Molina, a child protection advocate who spoke for the family. “The message in Massachusetts is that anything goes.”

She said she will continue to seek meetings with legislators until action is taken. DSS was found to have failed to intervene on Haleigh’s behalf despite several reports of abuse but was cleared of blame for her injuries by a state panel.

Haleigh’s grandmother, Sandra Sudyka, said the girl was able to say hello during a hospital visit in July, but the state revoked her visitation rights soon afterward. “I think they’re afraid of what she might say,” Sudyka said. DSS spokeswoman Mia Alvarado said, “We have a request from the courts not to speak on any matter related to Haleigh, and we feel we need to honor that request.” DSS had sought to remove Haleigh’s life support after she slipped into a coma but reversed course when her condition improved.

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What ever happened to Abdul Rahman?

He was the ex-Muslim whose conversion to Christianity nearly cost him his life. Adbul Rahman. In March, after a global outcry, Rahman fled Afghanistan and found safety in Italy after Muslim mobs demanded he be killed for abandoning Islam. Seven months after his escape, jihadis in Afghanistan still wanted him murdered for turning to Christ. They kidnapped Italian photojournalist Gabriele Torsello and threatened to kill him unless Italy returned Rahman to Afghanistan. Torsello was later released. He is a Muslim convert. As far as we know, Rahman remains safe in Italy. But apostates who leave Islam around the world remain in danger.

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What ever happened to Baby Charlotte?

Then

Now

Charlotte Wyatt was the brain-damaged toddler from whom doctors in England won the power to withhold life support–against the wishes of her parents. Pro-life groups and bloggers joined the Wyatt family earlier this year in fighting for her life and battling the “do not resuscitate” order mandated by the courts. Charlotte has defied medical expectations and survived for three years during the legal battles. Unfortunately, the strain took a toll on her parents’ marriage. Charlotte’s mother left the family; the father was admitted to the hospital for a drug overdose.

The good news: Just this week, Charlotte was discharged from hospital yesterday in time to spend Christmas with foster parents.

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What ever happened to the the Haditha Marines and Pendleton 8?

Here’s what I wrote back on May 30 about the Haditha Marines:

On May 18th, I was one of many bloggers on the Right to condemn Democrat Rep. John Murtha for blabbing about the still-not-complete investigation of alleged war atrocities by Marines at Haditha. (Formal findings are not expected for several weeks.) Since Murtha’s widely broadcast accusations of Marines killing civilians “in cold blood,” at least one other congressional rep–GOP Rep. John Kline of Minnesota–has jumped the gun and gone on record issuing conclusions about what happened at Haditha before reports are finalized and hearings are convened. Bad. There are also anonymous military sources leaking like crazy. And now the families of two Marines in the unit at issue have come forward with details.

I have been as outspoken as anyone about the anti-war, cut-and-run agenda, and the MSM’s abetting of it. But as military officials acknowledge the existence of not one, but two, investigations into the incident at Haditha–one into the happenings on that fateful Nov. 19 day and the other into an alleged cover-up–it’s time to move past the easy bashing of the motives of Rep. Murtha and his ilk. (Matt at Blackfive has good advice for Murtha about what to say about Haditha that should be used by every pol in Washington.)

The investigations are still ongoing. That’s not an excuse to ignore or dismiss the extensive reporting on the story. Yes, it’s mostly one-sided at this point. But if, if, even a fraction of it is true, it deserves the most vehement condemnation and most severe punishment. Toddlers are dead.

Our Marines do not deserve to be hung in the court of public opinion before an investigation is complete, before hearings are convened, or before any military court proceedings are launched. But there are knees jerking on both sides. I just can’t agree with sentiments like this one:

Jerry Alexander, the owner of G.I. Joe’s and a Navy man who served with the Marines for a dozen years, had much the same perspective, saying, “If I saw my buddy laying there dead, there is no such thing as too much retaliation.”

What? That is not the way to “win the hearts and minds” of Iraq. Or anywhere else.

Yesterday, 8 Marines were charged in the case. Kit JarrellHeidi defends the Marines here and flashes back to this CNN embed’s account via S&L. As I have said from the start, they deserve their day in military court. I pray they are innocent. But if they are guilty, they deserve the harshest penalties possible. Same for those involved in the Hamdania incident. Here is the USMC page tracking both investigations. Our Hot Air interview with 2LT Ilario Pantano, who was accused of premeditated murder in the killing of two Iraqi civilians two years ago and exonerated by a military tribunal, is worth re-watching for perspective.

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What ever happened to Naveed Avzal Haq?

He was the Pakistani-American gunman who burst into the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle building in late July, shooting six women, one fatally, as he declared that he was a “Muslim-American” who was “angry at Israel.” This week, citing Haq’s history of mental illness, King County prosecutor Norm Maleng announced he woudn’t seek the death penalty–despite calling the shooting “one of the most serious crimes that has ever occurred in this city.” Readers at leading Northwest blog Sound Politics react:

Makes you wonder what kind of heinous crime will get the death penalty in this state from now on. Seems it’s all but eliminated here. Posted by: Palouse on December 20, 2006 11:02 AM

So the lesson to the Jihadist or wanna-be jihadist is prior to performing a terrorist act make sure you have received mental health care within the past few years or more recently if possible and then after you get caught claim insanity get life in prison and while in prison “get better” and have your lawyer work with the states DOC and to get you out under “DOC Supervison” for “good behavior”. Rinse and repeat and there you go you no longer have to worry about being a martyr. Posted by: TrueSoldier on December 20, 2006 11:45 AM

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What ever happened to Ayaan Hirsi Ali?

She’s the fearless critic of Islam who moved to America earlier this year and now serves as a scholar for the American Enterprise Institute. Her latest commentary challenged the Holocaust deniers. In February, she’s coming out with a new book. Can’t wait:

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What ever happened to Omeed Aziz Popal and his victims?

He was the San Francisco SUV hit-and-run rampager, accused of killing one person and injuring 18 in August. Earlier this month, he pleaded not guilty.

A reader sent this stomach-turning development in which Popal’s parents are blaming one of the victims for her debilitating injuries:

The family of a man accused of deliberately running down pedestrians with his SUV don’t think they should have to pay for one of the victim’s medical bills.

Susan Rajic remains a quadriplegic three months after she was hit while walking in San Francisco. Omeed Popal is in jail charged with hitting Rajic and 17 other people in the City. He’s also accused of murdering a pedestrian in the East Bay the same day.

KRON 4 obtained a copy of the Popal family’s response to Rajic’s lawsuit asking for medical bills. The defendants blame Rajic saying she was “careless and negligent.” The response also says it was “within her power to act with due diligence to prevent her injuries.”

“It is heartless,” Rajic’s attorney Debra Bogaards told KRON 4′s Will Tran. “It is unfair. It is unjust. It is unbelievable.”

My reader writes:

Susan is still paralyzed from the neck down, and has only recently regained the ability to breathe on her own without a ventilator. Her reward for being a “careless and negligent” victim, and failing to “act with due diligence” to prevent Mr. Popal from running over her in his parent’s SUV (along with 17 other individuals, allegedly), is the loss of her livelihood, not to mention mounting medical bills covering her treatment and rehabilitation.

More:

Once Susan has completed her rehabilitation, Joseph would like to transfer her to his home in Georgia, so he can care for her and provide for her ongoing medical care. Unfortunately, Susan has no health insurance, and Joseph does not have the means to cover the costs for her relocation and ongoing treatment.

There is a website to help Susan and her family at www.SupportSusan.com.

Please help.