Conversion to Christianity

If he had been tortured into conversion, his faith in Christianity would have been weak, he would have cracked and reverted to Islam when faced with death.  There are circumstances in this mans life that lead him to rethink the way he looked at life.  Perhaps his divorce, lack of work....the Taliban.  He was Afghani.  Perhaps he was appaulled by the whole way his fellow Afghanis were being treated by men claiming to represent Islam.  90% of Afghanis are illiterate and have never read the Quran for themselves.  They are poor, hungry and have suffered for 20+ years at the hands of foreign powers and internal struggles.  I don't know about you, but if I watched women locked up in their homes and religious police terrorizing my people.  I'd rethink my religious affiliation.  Perhaps its more that he didn't have good Muslim rolemodels to follow.  Instead, he watched Christian aid workers doing what they could to ease the suffering going on in the camps. 

Here's my counter theory, he read this passage.

1 Corinthians 13

 1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

I really think the Muslims of the world need to focus on education there, Arabic and Islamic schools for boys and for girls.  Education will change everything.

My theory is 16 years ago, Afghanistan was a hotbed of misery.  Who was there trying to help?????  Rahman was probably seeing alot of horrible things in the name of Islam and he was seeing these aid workers living their gospel.  My counter theory is he wasn't tortured and coerced into converting.  He saw people with true Faith, Love and Charity, living Christ's teachings.  He was not converted over a distortion, but a sense of faith he saw in others.  Now, that's my theory.....it holds about as much weight as the "EVIL" Catholics beat him with a rubber hose until he agreed to be baptized. 

Your theory lacks just as much evidence.  You have no account showing that they gave him distorted information.  You would all have it that he's insane, he was tricked or tortured.  He made a choice of conscious.  He found his truth in Christianity.  Though you may disagree with his choice.  Its his right to choose and his choice to make.  The "self proclaimed" muslims and Mullahs calling for his execution wanted to rob him of that choice....when even the Holy Quran gives it to him.

Sis Angela, there are two elements of motivation in my theory, for his conversion.

 1. The distorted info. By this I meant, not only the fictatious conversion stories but numerous other techniques to influence.

2. The promise for rosy gardens of the west.

If element number one is a guess work, I can understand, but certainly not the second one. The 16 years after conversion he spent in Germany is the evidence I was refering to.