Lie equivalency

Very interesting article in the New York Times about Zacarias Moussaoui and his testimony before the Federal District Court in Virginia. A very, um, poignant moment came at the end of the article:

Asked by the prosecutor whether he kept quiet in jail to protect "operational secrecy," he replied, "You're free to use any term you want."

Mr. Moussaoui said there were times when a Muslim can lie without being immoral: to reconcile Muslims, to answer "yes" when a wife asks, "Am I beautiful?" and to carry out jihad.

"Yes, you're beautiful and, no, I do not wish to carry out jihad!" Those sound like similar sentiments to me.