An atheist POV
I find it interesting that the entire discussion is centered over the issue of the Iraqis demanding the man's head.
It is a sign of Zeitgeist that nobody seems to see how the US decision and the Iraqi demand are two points on the same ladder.
It seems that most people here agree that the Koran is worth a career. The Iraqis contend it is worth a life.
The justification of a Koran (or Bible, or Sutra, or whatever) being worth a career is IMHO the same one that the Iraqis use to argue for a life. Neither can really be justified - the Koran (and Bible, and sutra ... etc), is after all, a book.
If the target had not been labeled "religious", the man would likely have been commended for his initiative in self-training, or at least allowed to pursue his recreation - it is no worse than throwing darts at portraits, for example.
But if you can arbitrarily raise the value of a book to being a large chunk of a human life (blowing someone's career arguably qualifies for this given the importance of a career to livelihood), then why not a full life. It is the same "logic" in different extents.
Just my two cents.
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