The Artful Jurist

From the country that brought you the Taliban and its proclamation that statuary offends God and needs to be destroyed, now there's a furor over, of all things, a published book of the Quran.

One might think an Islamic nation would have been pleased when one of its citizens published a translation of the Quran from Arabic to an Afghani language, the purpose of which was to make it accessible to those living there who don't speak Arabic. But no. The Associated Press reports that hard-line clerics are crying foul because the book doesn't include the original Arabic verses along with the translation. What's wrong with that? Well, many believe the Quran represents the actual spoken words of God, and a mistranslation could, as the A.P. put it, "warp God's word."

So what's the penalty for warping God's word? Well, if Afghanistan's Islamic Council has its way, the penalty will be death. According to the story, there are at least two people who are currently on trial and could face the death penalty.