In the context of the story, this Muslim kid wants the freedom to live under Shari'a law apparently, and he wants the freedom to practice the forcible conversion of others to Islam, as his faith dictates. So freedom for him is bad for everyone else. He needs to be isolated or converted, as all who would practice Islam as it's written.
As far as your point about living in another time, I have often thought about what it would be like to live in the early 1800's, in say, Virginia or the Carolinas, or the West in the 1880's. Pretty much wide open freedom, but a hard life, and risky, nonetheless. But I get your point.
Yeah, the conversation took a turn I did not anticipate- I am sorry about that.
But you hit on what I had been commenting upon. Freedom has become a variable commodity in this day and age. It means radically different things depending on who you're talking to. To the Taliban, freedom means freedom to practice Sharia. To others, it might mean a tax haven. Depending on what your view of freedom is- the US is either the country with the most liberty in the world or the Great Satan.
In my own view- the US is the nation in the world where people enjoy the most freedom- across the board. There are some areas where the US is more draconian but in just about any category that really matters, you're bound to experience more freedom in the US- generally speaking- than anywhere else. This is not in dispute. Not by me and not by anyone who takes liberty seriously. Were the US to collapse suddenly, that would be the end of freedom for the individual in the world. It wouldn't happen overnight- but without the US to safeguard freedom, all is lost.
Many other nations enjoy a great deal of freedom- not so much because the US is there to protect it- but because the US is there as an example. Without that example, other nations have nothing to aspire to.
That's the way I feel about it.