An Afghan court has sentenced Ghows Zalmay to 20 years in prison for blasphemy. His crime? He translated the Quran into Dari. Religious experts testified it was an accurate translation, but it didn't include the original Arabic text, and the court found that blasphemous.
A feeling of great sadness is the best I've been able to come up with so far but that doesn't begin to express the depth of sorrow that I feel for this man.
As I'm typing this out I find myself wondering why this act of cruelty, among the millions people do to each other every day, seems to strike me on such a deep and personal level? Is it because it touches on my feelings towards religion in general? Or perhaps because it reminds me of exactly how little the human race has changed as a whole since the times of Martin Luther? Perhaps it is because this feels like a victory of close mindedness over open mindedness?
I'm not sure, maybe it is a combination of those reasons or something else entirely. Regardless, if I did believe in a God, I would be praying for Dr. Zalmay this evening.
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