The persecution of Abdul Rahman "the tip of the iceburg"

In the current edition of The Weekly Standard, writer Paul Marshall takes a hard look at the continual persecution and killing of Christians and those of other minority faiths in Muslim nations:

Abdul Rahman's plight is merely the tip of the iceberg. Like the violence over the Danish cartoons of Muhammad, or the Ayatollah Khomeini's demand that Salman Rushdie be killed for blasphemy, it reveals a systematic, worldwide attempt by Islamists to imprison, kill, or otherwise silence anyone who challenges their ideology.

Left-wing secularists in the United States argue (unconvincingly, I'll note) that if given the leeway that Muslim clerics have in the Middle East, the Christian "religious right" would be but one step away from committing the same kind of barbarism here.  That kind of moral relativism is utter nonsense of course, and probably serves only to hide the hesitancy of leftists in dealing with problems that cannot be attributed to American interference.

Once again: we are at a major tipping point in world affairs.  The West has already been challenged by radical Islam.  September 11th was a slap in our faces by the leather glove of Jihad.  While my Christian beliefs move me to pray (and to urge all Christians to pray) for a peaceful solution to this problem, and to continue compassionate work among those devastated by strife and warfare in the Middle East, I also realize that radical Islam is an evil that can most likely be stopped only by force.

The diplomatic tidal wave that saved Abdul Rahman was a noble effort, but the West will eventually tire of using such methods again and again and again.   Diplomacy and politics have never been effective at defeating evil, which is what must occur if such practices among Muslims are to end.

And in the meantime, diplomatic efforts will only serve to push persecution underground.   

(h/t Michelle Malkin)