Maybe you haven’t noticed yet, but another culture war’s burners are sizzling once again, fueled by the kindling of religion, no less.

Fathima Rifqa Bary, a Muslim turned Christian teen born to a Sri Lankan immigrant family is at the epicenter a cultural whirlwind as judges, pundits, attorneys, pastors and more chime in on what they believe to be best for the girl.

Reported as a missing child in July, Rifqa apparently fled her Ohio home and made for Florida, where she took up temporary residence with a pastor of the evangelical megachurch Global Revolution Church. Rifqa’s family reported suspicion of foul play to the Ohio General Attorney’s Office, but classmates of Rifqa claimed the girl had likely fled of her own volition due to religious conflict that arose when Rifqa converted to Christianity.

Add to this mixture Rifqa’s claim of death threats from her father, a pastor who kept Rifqa at his home for more than two weeks without informing police, a federal investigation of the Ohio mosque attended by Rifqa’s parents and a church that has removed access to sermons mentioning the girl, and you have one nasty little concoction … and a judge we certainly don’t envy.

This is a dangerous situation that demands one look before leaping, yet plenty on both sides have been ignoring that age-old advice; instead diving headlong into a political and religious firestorm.

Many are sympathetic to Rifqa. And who wouldn’t be? Who wants to stand idly by as a 17-year-old honor student is sentenced to death?

But are her fears legitimate? In interviews, Rifqa claims her father, upon discovering her Christian beliefs that she had hidden from them for years, flew into a rage and declared her dead to him. In her affidavit, Rifqa says her father also stated, very bluntly, that he would kill her.

“They have to kill me because I’m a Christian. It’s an honor. If they love God more than me, they have to do this,” she told ABC in an interview.

Honor killings — the type to which Rifqa refers — are indeed real occurrences. The United Nations Population Fund estimates 5,000 happen annually worldwide, mostly in predominantly Muslim countries. This leads to a belief one could easily find echoed down the dark corridors of the Internet: Muslims are inherently violent because their religion commands them to be so.

However, it should be noted that those 5,000 recorded by the U.N. take into account honor killings of other religions, including Christianity. It is wrong to characterize Islam as a violent religion, and far more incorrect to describe honor killings as an Islamic commandment.

According to religious scholars, the Quran never mentions any law or commandment about honor killings, and indeed the prophet Mohammad granted The Charter of Privileges to monks of Saint Catherine Monastery in 628. Among other things, it specifically commands Muslims to defend Christians.

Of course, one may then ask why atrocities continue to happen in countries such as Pakistan, where, in early August of this year, eight Christians burned to death after terrorists set fire to the predominantly Christian community of Gojra upon hearing the Quran had been defiled.

The answer is, surprisingly to many, not rooted in religion. It is instead largely cultural; just as in the early years of our country, when Catholics murdered Protestants and vice versa. Religion may be used as a tool, but it is not the root of the problem. The problem is man’s inhospitality to man, especially to those who are different.

Rifqa’s case will not be decided according to her religion, no matter what any pundit or pastor may say. Rifqa Bary’s unique situation will largely be decided by culture; our American culture and our American values — specifically, our values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

You may have noticed earlier this week a letter to the editor about those who torture children, which featured several examples of perpetrators coming under the scrutiny of the justice system only to be released shortly thereafter. This letter chilled us to the core. And although we know there is nothing to fear from the Islamic religion, we can’t deny our humanity when we see a 17-year-old girl weeping, “I don’t want to die.”

We also know individuals will interpret new knowledge to their benefit, so context and productive discourse are often the victims of such emotional scandals. When Rifqa’s situation reaches your discussion table, we hope you’ll keep a cool and rational head.

And when Florida circuit judge Dan Dawson rules on the case later this month, we hope he’ll find the best and safest course of action for young Rifqa.