Religious Reactionaries

The latest radical Islamic brouhaha occurring in Sudan convinces me more than ever that religious conservatives of any stripe are out of their minds. In our country they call themselves things like Moral Majority and Aryan Nations. In Afghanistan they are known as the Taliban, and the only thing preventing our zealots from ruling like the former leaders of that nation is something called the Constitution of the United States.

I remember well when I first learned of the atrocities being committed in Afghanistan in the name of Islam. The law or principles known as Sharia were responsible for the justification of public beheadings and chopping off hands. I first saw a picture of an Afghan man holding up a hand dangling from a string, sporting a very pleased grin. Another picture showed a woman dressed in a burkha on her knees in the street being verbally attacked by men for whatever her perceived immoral behavior was. Judgement was passed summarily in Afghanistan in those bad old days, not much opportunity for legal appeal.

A British teacher is in jail in Sudan presently for allowing her students to name a stuffed bear "Mohammed." This is perceived as an insult to Islam. She was sentenced to fifteen days in jail, which is apparently pretty horrific in Sudan. She could have faced forty lashes, and today protesters filled the streets calling for her execution.

When the American press referred to the young California man captured while fighting for the enemy in Afghanistan as "the American Taliban," my first thought was, "No! Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson are the American Taliban!" Truly, if people of their ilk could have their way America would quickly become as medieval as any conservative Islamic Republic. My wife once dated a man who told her that according to the bible all homosexuals should be killed. He is also an American Taliban. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church, who run a website called GodHatesFags.com, among other bigoted activities could also be potential members of our Taliban.

Do you have any nominees for the American Taliban?