The death penalty--for conversion to Christianity?

Last week, Abdul Rahman, an Afghan citizen, was turned in to the authorities by his own family. His crime? In direct conflict with Sharia law, he had converted to Christianity 16 years ago.

As this case goes to trial, many hard-line Taliban-types are clamoring for Rahman's execution. However, as this story reports, western nations such as Germany and Italy have sent official protests to the Afghan government demanding that Rahman not only receive a stay of execution but be allowed to practice his religion freely.

The prosecution seems to sense that this is not a battle they want to fight, because of the expected strain on Afghanistan's relationship with the US and other members of the coalition that liberated their country from Taliban rule and assisted them in rebuilding their nation and establishing a parliamentary democracy. They seem to be ready to lay aside their case on the grounds of insanity. That is pretty unusual, because insanity is a plea of the defense, not an excuse provided by the prosecution. I suspect that Mr. Rahman would prefer a public trial where he, like Peter and John, like Paul, could testify to his faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior. Watch this video, and you will see a man ready to face death rather than deny Christ or admit that he is an "apostate."

President Hamid Karzai is faced with a difficult leadership decision. On the one hand, he must reassure those Muslims in Afghanistan that he is willing to uphold the laws of Islam. On the other hand, if he signs the execution orders for Mr. Rahman, he risks the anger of his allies in the west.

My opinion on this case is that Karzai must stand his ground for human rights and freedom, if his government is to be viewed as legitimate and worthy of American support. There are many Americans and Europeans who (unlike the Iraq war) were strong supporters of the campaign in Afghanistan, yet would be unwilling to support any continued financial or military contribution of the allies if Rahman dies. In my mind it would be unconscionable to have American soldiers die on a mission to establish a free and democratic government in Afghanistan only to have one in place that continues to persecute Christians for their faith. Freedom of religion is the first right guaranteed by our First Amendment.

The Afghan embassy's number in Washington is (202) 483-6410. If one of you calls to register your protest and see what they have to say, record what happens in the comment section. And remember to pray for our brother in Christ and for other persecuted and frightened Christians in the Muslim world.

UPDATE: Here is a link to a story that captures the sentiment of conservative Christians in America. The essence? Americans did not give their lives to establish a government that puts people to death just for being Christians!

When will we ever need this stuff, anyway?

As reported here and as we discussed in class in connection with Medieval learning, the Michigan legislature last week passed the new graduation requirements for high schools, including the requirement for four years of math. If you follow this link, you will go to the State Department of Education page. On that page are several links to documents and opinion pieces in favor of the recommended, and now adopted, changes in the state-mandated curriculum. Needless to say, the Department of Education did not feel compelled to provide a "fair and balanced" presentation of opposing viewpoints.

For example, here is a piece written by Jim Ballard, a representative of High School principals. In it, he makes the case for additional math requirements beyond Algebra II.

Producing more highly educated college and technical school graduates does not guarantee that good jobs will come to Michigan. But failing to do so guarantees that they won't.

The landscape has changed. High school students planning to enter a career or technical trade need to learn the same English and mathematics content and skills as those who plan to go to college.

Michigan's math deficit

Forty percent of Michigan high school graduates skip math their senior year. And fewer than half -- 41 percent -- take any math beyond Algebra II.

States that are doing the best economically have 61 percent of the students taking the tougher mathematics classes.

For the sake of Michigan's future, we need to stop asking whom college is for and start acting as though it is for everyone (emphasis mine--DD). Only then can we ensure that everyone is prepared -- no matter what choice they make after 12th grade.

To be ready for college, a Michigan high school student needs four credits in college-preparatory English; four mathematics credits, including Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II and above; and mathematics in the senior year.

If you follow the logic, Michigan students need more math experts in order to be more competitive with other states who have a more highly educated work force.

On the other hand, perhaps you would like to read this piece by Richard Cohen of the Washington Post writers' group. Here is an excerpt from the lead:

The L.A. school district now requires all students to pass a year of algebra and a year of geometry in order to graduate. This is something new for Los Angeles (although 17 states require it) and it is the sort of vaunted education reform that is supposed to close the science and math gap and make the U.S. more competitive. All it seems to do, though, is ruin the lives of countless kids. In L.A., more kids drop out of school on account of algebra than any other subject. I can hardly blame them.

Read the piece, and you will discover that the author finds it altogether plausible that a person can get along fine in life without algebra, despite the outrage of mathematics teachers!

Although this piece was, admittedly, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I don't think this one from the Ann Arbor News should be taken lightly. The author, apparently an anonymous African-American, fears that the effect of these graduation requirements will be to cause an increase in the dropout rate and cause a further racial divide between whites and blacks. Here is an excerpt:

We have to look at kids as accomplishers who make simple mistakes. We are confused as to the meaning of what we are learning because nothing we learn is apparent in our day-to-day life. Even if you ask a teacher the meaning behind stuff you are learning, especially in math, they will explain it is simply as something you need to learn. There is no practical reason in the present (or if so, it is not explained) and the present is where young people live.

My high school transcript records a year of Algebra I and a year of Geometry. No more math. I did, however, take four years of Latin and two of German. God gifted me with abilities in language; I definitely do not care for math. Without embarassing anyone by naming names, I can tell you that one of the students from the LCS class of '05 was similarly gifted with a flair for languages and history, but struggled to perform well in math. I like to think that I have successfully negotiated life without ever becoming curious about the intricacies of advanced mathematics. Other people have that interest and it is going to be of value to them in their career. Good for them. Calculate away!

If the real interest in having demanding standards for high school graduation is to prepare 18-year-olds to be competitive in the work force, as Mr. Ballard (not that Ballard, the one quoted above) seems to advocate, then perhaps the best overhaul of the entire educational system would be one in which the college-bound student could be prepared one way, and the student who wants to repair cars or be a plumber could prepare themselves another way. Let them be apprenticed to a master mechanic, electrician, or plumber like they did in the Middle Ages. It seems to me that such students would be thrilled to be working hands-on in their future trade, while not becoming bored and disruptive in the pre-college classroom.

What's your opinion? Is a one-size-fits-all liberal arts curriculum the best educational preparation, or is there a better way?

A deadly game

A few days ago, this letter to the editor appeared in the Daily Telegram (keep scrolling to the third letter). Local resident Pat Hartman wrote

There was a report on CBS Early Show about a game the kids are playing called the Choking Game, the Pass-Out Game or the Hanging Game, and kids are dying doing it. They say the possible warning signs are bloodshot eyes, bruises on the child's neck, and behavioral changes, but that often there are no signs. According to CBS, there have been 59 deaths nationwide from this, so far, and some schools are trying to educate the kids and warn them about what they are doing, and may do, to themselves.

In my mind I went back to a very unpleasant memory from April 1993. I was teaching at a Lutheran High School in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. I received a phone call from our vice principal that one of our sophomore students, Chad S., had committed suicide by hanging himself. However, there were signs of struggle at the death scene that indicated that he had tried to extricate himself from his noose. It was also reported that "the choking game" was all the rage among young teens and that perhaps, foolishly and fatally, Chad had attempted to play the game alone. Although it may have provided some comfort to the grieving survivors to know that the act was probably a stupid accident rather than a despairing act of unbelief, it still was a very sad day.

It's a day that I don't want to repeat. So I'm providing you the link to the CBS news story so that you can watch the four minute video for yourself. Scroll to the story and click the video report link and you can watch it in the right panel. I'm also providing you this link to the stop the choking game web site. If you know of anyone who may be involved in this activity, thinking that it's a "safe" way to "get high" without using drugs or alcohol, please forward this information to them and talk about it with them. It might be a matter of life and death.

An alternate reality

Next time you're wondering about what it might be like to attend a public school, or even what your social studies/history classes might be like in college, just listen to this excerpt, recorded by a student in Aurora, Colorado. Michelle Malkin has taken the time to transcribe the recording in case you can't download the MP3 file.

The student in question protested the comment about Bush and Hitler being eerily alike (at least that's what the AP has condensed the essence of the complaint to). The teacher, according to this story, has been placed on a paid leave of absence during an investigation.