The reasonable faith of Islam

I have many problems with Islam as a reasonable faith, but most of all is this notion that one who abandons that faith should be killed, his family killed, anyone who aids him, killed. This sort of thing belies a worldview which cannot stand the light of the free market of ideas.

Some would (clumsily) counter that this sort of thing happened in the Spanish Inquisition period - notably to Jews who did not convert to Christianity. Apart from the actual merits of that argument, let's just take the simple fact that it is 500 years later! It's 2006, for God's sake (Allah's, too).

Muslim clerics in Afghanistan condemned Rahman's release, saying it was a "betrayal of Islam," and threatened to incite violent protests.

Some 500 Muslim leaders, students and others gathered Wednesday in a mosque in southern Qalat town and criticized the government for releasing Rahman, said Abdulrahman Jan, the top cleric in Zabul province.

He said the government should either force Rahman to convert back to Islam or kill him.

"This is a terrible thing and a major shame for Afghanistan," he said.