Soheil Arabi has grown up in post revolutionary Iran with every waking moment of his life ruled by Islam.
Prayer 3 times a day beginning at 4:AM dietary laws governing what is available to eat the relationships in his life with family f
riends girls dating etc. (Were he a woman it would be worse; she would even be told how to dress properly and where she could and could not go). Holidays celebrations what he may say and what he may not.
For people growing up in an Islamic ruled country there are very few moments in their lives that Islam is not there watching Waiting for you to make a mistake. Reminding you of your obligations to Allah.
This inculcation and control is so thorough that incidents like this are very rare. In a country of 77 million people there are only a handful of these crimes every year. And yet in my limited experience resistance to this government control seems to be almost ubiquitous among younger people in Iran. Check out this facebook page of nothing but women removing their hajib in defiance of Islamic law:
My Stealthy Freedom.
Living in America I cannot imagine what this does to peoples spirit. Our entire society would shut down overnight if our government and religious leaders tried to do this to us.
I know Im only adding my voice to thousands more in outrage over such a policy that would kill a man for his thoughts so let me go a step further and join with his voice which is a crime for him but a simple freedom I take for granted every day:
He seems to me to be a feckless God and a neutered prophet who must rely on humans to kill people who insult him. If Allah and Mohammed want someone dead can they not do the job themselves?
As a Christian I trust my God can defend Himself as He requires. If He cant He is no God anyway.
