Hopefully by now you have heard of the case of Abdul Rahman, a 41-yr old Afghan, who is now facing trial and possible execution for converting to Christianity from Islam. Sixteen years ago, Mr. Rahman converted to Christianity. At which time he told his family and friends. Now this, in itself is a brave thing. It is not uncommon for family or friends to themselves kill another family member or friend for apostasy (renouncing faith in Islam) in the name of family honor. While most "honor killings" we hear of are usually about killing a woman who has "disgraced herself" (frequently a loosely defined offense) in the eyes of the family, honor killings are frequently used for any family member who commits apostasy.

Apostasy has always been treated harshly in Islam. It is treated as treason might be within a national political context. It also must be understood that apostasy is not mentioned in the Q'uran, but in the Hadiths -- the Islamic interpretations and traditional of law and the Q'uran. So this is not a requirement of Islam required by the Q'uran.

The most recent development is that Mr. Rahman has been offered the opportunity to take the insanity plea to avoid death. It has never been contested that Mr. Rahman has, in Islamic eyes, committed apostasy. He is definitely a professing Christian where he was once a muslim. Which brings me to my point -- would you take the plea?

By accepting the insanity plea, Mr. Rahman could walk away from a definite death penalty. (By the way, before the case has even been decided, Mr. Rahman's family, the prosecutor and the judge have all said that Mr. Rahman should be put to death if found guilty of apostasy.) Mr. Rahman can walk away and keep his Christian faith. But should he take the plea? Would you?

I recently started reading Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place. Corrie was a Dutch Christian who helped hide and protect Jews during the German occupation of Holland during World War II. Corrie was eventually discovered by the Germans and put into prison and eventually a concentration camp. Throughout her entire ordeal she continued to look for God in everyday events. Corrie was able to forgive her captors because they were the means by which she could live life as Jesus called her to -- with bravery and full reliance on God's strength, not her own. As the Apostle Paul said, it is in weakness that God is shown strong.

How strong will Mr. Rahman be? How strong could you be? I will be watching this case closely. Please pray that God's glory may be shown through Mr. Rahman's case. Pray that Mr. Rahman will continue to stand strong for his faith and his reliance on Christ. And consider how you would stand when you face what -- comparatively speaking -- little persecution you may face here in the U.S.

(HT: The Counterterrorism Blog)