Thìs really is a sad development. I've been encouraged by the international reaction to this though, which has forced Afghanistan to pause and consider whether or not the move's worth it. Their government is bound to appeal to the difficult process of harmonizing their traditional culture and religious views with Western democratic values, but I'm hoping people don't buy it. That country needs to recognize that there are certain lines that they simply cannot cross, if they want continued military and political support. I'm personally very critical of any attempts to govern a country according to Sharia law. However, if a country persisted in its reverence for it (and so many do), I think they'd have to trim it down and revise it considerably. That might jive with many Muslims who are bound to accept it in whole, but the fact is that there are just too many outdated aspects of Sharia law that are irrelevant at best, and pernicious at worst.
