These Christian Foreign Aid Workers
in Afghanistan Are Possibly the Stupidest People in the World
September 5, 2001
The prize for the stupidest
people in the world could very well go to the eight foreign aid workers
associated with a German -based Christian organization who apparently were
caught in Afghanistan trying to convert people from Islam to Christianity.
As I've written elsewhere, I'm no fan of
the Taliban. Their restrictions on women are tantamount to slavery,
and their laws against religious proselytizing are an affront against free
speech and freedom of religion.
But Afghanistan is a country
were punishments include amputation of limbs, and execution by methods such
as stoning, and having a brick wall collapsed on you. It's not a place
were you want to violate the law.
There are billions of people
all over the world who are not Christians. If someone wants to
proselytize, I would think one of the last places on earth to choose to do
so would be Afghanistan.
Bottom line: if you're in
Afghanistan, wouldn't it be smart to obey their laws?
Unless the Taliban are
fabricating evidence, the aid workers possessed local-language editions of
Bibles, dozens of audio tapes and CD's about Jesus, and lesson plans for
teaching Christianity. Indeed, they had a book titled
"Sharing Your Faith with a Muslim."
It's expected that these
foreign aid workers will be convicted, and expelled as punishment. (Since
these eight workers were arrested, the Taliban government has expelled
about 24 other foreign aid workers for preaching Christianity.)
But there are 16 Afghan staff
members who were arrested with the eight foreign aid workers and face
similar charges. For the Afghans, the penalty will likely be far more
severe, possibly death.
The foreign aid workers have
endangered the lives of these Afghans with ill-advised proselytizing, and
for that deserve to be called not only stupid, but criminally reckless. |
