Not as Bad as it Sounds?

Several folks in the States have asked me about the apostasy case. I only know what I read in the papers, and cringe along with everyone else at remarks like:

Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance, so we'll kill him if he doesn't recant!

Or:

God has been humiliated! (As if God is cowering in a corner somewhere)

But after all the scary quotes, the result was a demonstration in one northern city with around 200 angry men. Now make no mistake, the fact that this came to trial at all highlights a serious issue: Afghan law is completely at the whim of the judges' interpretation of the Koran, and the judges in question are fundamentalists. But 200 angry men... I'm not convinced that's reflective of the population as a whole.

I prefer to look at percentage of jerks. For example, when people complain about ugly Americans, I explain that there may be more of us stomping through their countryside, than, say, Japanese. But as a percentage of the US populace, America has no higher rate of willful idiots than any other country.

But the real test will be Friday prayers, which provide an opportunity for mullahs to harrangue the populace. I might revise my opinion of general sensibilities here after that.