On March 20, 2006, Daniel Cooney of the Associated Press reported that “an Afghan man [Abdul Rahman] is being prosecuted in a Kabul court and could be sentenced to death on a charge of converting from Islam to Christianity.” The Western world seemed stunned. German chancellor Angela Merkel sought personal assurances from Afghan president Hamid Karzai that the execution would be stopped; Austrian foreign minister Ursula Plassnik promised to “leave no stone unturned to protect the fundamental rights of Abdul Rahman and to save his life”; and Pope Benedict XVI appealed to a “respect for human rights sanctioned in the preamble of the new Afghan constitution.” Similar protests and pleas came from scores of other political and religious leaders across North America and throughout Europe.

But the most candid and emotional response came from John Howard, the Australian prime minister. He told an Australian radio network, “This is appalling. When I saw the report about this I felt sick, literally.” Howard went on to share his astonishment that this was possible: “The idea that a person could be punished because of their religious belief and the idea they might be executed is just beyond belief.”

This book will show that violent religious persecution is neither beyond belief nor uncommon. The prime minister's reactions no doubt reflect the thoughts and emotions of many, but they do not reflect global realities.