Horror of horrors! Inciting them to what? To violence? To hatred? To (gasp) creationism?
Naaah. They were inciting them to convert to Christianity. And in a land that respects Muhammad’s dictum “If anyone changes his religion, kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57), the free exercise of one’s conscience is a crime.
Islamic Tolerance Alert from modern, moderate Morocco, which is also moving against homosexuals today: “Muslim Morocco expels 5 Christian missionaries,” from AP, March 29 (thanks to all who sent this in):
RABAT, Morocco (AP) “” Authorities have expelled five Christian missionaries from Morocco on the grounds that they were illegally inciting Muslims to convert, the Interior Ministry said Sunday.
The missionaries were caught Saturday during an assembly with Moroccan Muslims in Casablanca, the North African kingdom’s economic capital, and have been sent to Spain by boat, the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the official MAP news agency.
“Numerous pieces of evangelical propaganda material were also seized,” including video cassettes in Arabic that advocated conversion to Christianity, the statement said.
A senior Interior Ministry official said the missionaries were four Spaniards and a German woman. He insisted Morocco has nothing against the Christian faith, but that authorities felt the missionaries had gone too far.
Of course!
Many people frown on proselytizing. I have no problem with it from any group. If someone wants to convert me to another religion or point of view, I’ll be glad to discuss it. If, however, someone who rejects an invitation to convert must be killed — well, that does seem to cross a line. So in Morocco, why not let Christians preach, and anyone else who wants to preach also? If Islam is true, its truth will shine forth in comparison to error, will it not? Actions like this one from the Moroccan government manifest a deep insecurity that can also be found all over the Islamic world.