Free Republic

"The government strongly opposed militant forms of Islam, which it viewed as a threat to the regime." So said the State Department's 2008 human rights report (published in February 2009) on a certain North African nation. "Although there is no explicit law guaranteeing religious freedom, in practice the government generally respected the right to observe one's religion," said the report. This did not mean, however, that it allowed the full "free exercise" of religion that is guaranteed by our First Amendment. "Although there is no law prohibiting conversion from Islam," said the report, "the government prohibits efforts to proselytize Muslims...