Islam's biggest problem

It's not jihadist terrorists who pose the biggest problem for Islamic nations vis a vis the West. It's the medieval laws that so-called "progressive" Islamic nations espouse. Consider this recent report from UPI:

ITAN WALI, Pakistan (UPI) -- A Pakistani Christian woman sentenced to death by hanging for allegedly defaming Islam will have her sentence reviewed by an appeals court, a prosecutor said.

The appeal of the death sentence of Asia Bibi, a field worker who would be Pakistan's first person executed for blasphemy, will be heard by the Lahore High Court, Chaudhry Muhammad Jahangir told CNN.

Bibi, 45, was convicted by a lower court following a June 2009 incident in which she allegedly dipped her cup into a bucket of drinking water used by other female fruit pickers, who then allegedly considered the water contaminated by a non-Muslim.

The women got into a heated argument, court records indicate.

During the argument, Bibi "said your Mohammed had worms in his mouth before he died" -- a crude way of saying Mohammed was no prophet -- said Magia Satar, who said she was there and heard Bibi's alleged insults.

Such religious executions went out of vogue in Europe and America in the 16th century.

Countries such as Pakistan and the Arab nations are in a tough spot. Their leaders feel they need to cater to the extremists among them, just as America's GOP finds itself the prisoner of its religious right in many situations. I myself am endlessly amazed that in the 21st century religious fanaticism still holds sway over so much of the world.