Talkin' about the cat in Afghanistan who's under the gun for apotasty -- converting from Islam to Christianity -- here's the American Enterprise Institute's Richard Coehn, spoiling for the clash of civilizations in a column. Unfathomable Zealotry:

Now, though, this awful thing returns and it is not just a single country that would kill a man for his beliefs but a huge swath of the world that would not protest. There can be only one conclusion: They were in agreement.
...
I can embrace an Afghan for his children, his work, even his piety -- all he shares with much of humanity. But when he insists that a convert must die, I am stunned into disbelief: Is this my fellow man?

An Afghan might ask if you are in fact his fellow man if you insist that wedding parties must be anniahlated so that freedom can march. It's a messy world, and we shouldn't pretend that we're not brutal people too. Stripping away the humanity of the Other just makes it easier to kill.

Sorta makes me mad, this cycle. It is how wars perpetuate, with sweeping generalizations and demonization. It's the same story, and I can't really fathom why people like Cohen or orgs like the AEI (a prominent cheerleader for invading Iraq) really do these things, but the intent is clear.