Democracy, Islam not compatible

To the editor:

While our brave soldiers fight and die to spread freedom and democracy, an Afghan citizen is being tried for the crime of abandoning Islam and converting to Christianity.

The only possible sentence? Death. The only possible defense? Insanity. What do the "moderate" clerics do? They call for the people to literally "tear him apart" if he's not executed by the government. Come on, America. Do you not see the futility? Freedom and democracy are incompatible with Islam. Do you really believe Iraq will be much different? Do you not see that Iraq was already at civil war before we began? Saddam was a brutal tyrant because brutality and tyranny are more compatible than freedom and democracy.

MICHAEL THIES, Cape Girardeau