Christian Man in Afghanistan Faces Death for His Faith

Read for yourselves this latest bit about Abdul Rahman...

The Bush administration yesterday appealed to Afghanistan to spare the life of a man facing the death penalty for converting to Christianity, but said the matter was one for the Afghan government and courts to decide.

In a case that has sparked international outrage, the remarks of Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns were in sharp contrast to condemnations of the trial by lawmakers and by leading European allies.
Briefing reporters with Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah at his side, Mr. Burns said the U.S. government was watching the case of Abdul Rahman closely, but added, "This case is not in the competence of the United States government. It's under the competence of the Afghan authorities."

But the governments of Germany and Italy, which -- like the United States -- have substantial troop deployments in Afghanistan, lodged strong protests at the prospect of Mr. Rahman's execution, with former Italian President Francesco Cossiga saying Italy should withdraw its 1,775 troops in Afghanistan if the death sentence is handed down.

The Italian Foreign Ministry said Rome will move "at the highest level ... to prevent something which is incompatible with the defense of human rights and fundamental freedoms."

California Rep. Tom Lantos, the ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, demanded a strong official U.S. protest, calling the Rahman prosecution "outrageous" at a time when an international coalition of troops "are dying in defense of the Afghan government."

At least two prominent conservative religious groups issued online messages that appealed to the Bush administration to help save the life of a man "who refuses to deny Christ."

The American Family Association's founder and chairman, Donald Wildmon, asked readers to e-mail President Bush asking him to intervene.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, took issue with a statement by State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, who called freedom of worship "an important element of any democracy." "Religious freedom is not just 'an important element' of democracy; it is its cornerstone," Mr. Perkins declared.

A Kabul court confirmed Sunday that Mr. Rahman, 41, was facing a death sentence under Islamic Shariah law for converting to Christianity. The conversion, which happened 16 years ago when Mr. Rahman was employed by a Christian aid organization in Pakistan, came to light during a custody battle over his two children.

The case is a delicate one for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whose government remains highly dependent on Western aid and arms. But Afghanistan is overwhelmingly Muslim, and the ousted Taliban government, a fundamentalist Islamic movement, could exploit the case if the charge against Mr. Rahman is dropped. Mr. Abdullah, in Washington this week for talks on deepening strategic and economic ties with the United States, said, "I know this is a sensitive issue, and we know the concerns of the American people."

He said the Afghan Embassy had received hundreds of messages about the case. But he insisted that the case was a legal one involving Mr. Rahman and his family. "The government of Afghanistan has nothing to do with it," he said.

Afghanistan's constitution is based on Islamic Shariah law, which many argue forbids Muslims to convert to any other faith. The Afghan judiciary is considered a bastion of conservative orthodoxy, largely unreformed despite the ouster of the Taliban more than four years ago.

Prosecutor Abdul Wasi told the Associated Press that the capital case against Mr. Rahman would be dropped -- if the defendant would convert back to Islam. "We are Muslims, and becoming a Christian is against our laws," Mr. Wasi said. "He must get the death penalty."

Mr. Burns and State Department officials were clearly struggling to condemn the prosecution without causing a major break with a vital U.S. ally. Mr. Burns said the administration would demand "transparency" in the trial and noted that Afghanistan's constitution guarantees freedom of religion for all citizens.

"While we understand the complexity of the case and certainly respect the sovereignty of the Afghan authorities, from an American point of view, people should be free to choose their religion and should not suffer any severe penalties, certainly not death, for having made a personal choice as to what religion to follow," he said.

Wow. We don't know what it's like to have to face death for what we believe. We should definitely keep this good, solid Christian man in our prayers as his case unfolds.

I think President Bush and the other leaders of the coalition forces in Afghanistan did the right thing. Here's the logic: Afghan leaders are trying to deny the right to life of one man who has done nothing wrong while protective coalition forces are dying in the defense of the Afghan people. Am I the only one who misses the logic here? I really hope enough of an outcry has been made to save the life of this brave Afghan man.

Normally I would be against the US or any other nation trying to get involved in another country's private affairs, whether they be right or wrong. It's none of our business how other countries choose to rule. In this case, however, with our own men over there protecting Afghans from the very thing they are trying to do to this man, I believe we and other countries who have forces in Afghanistan have some right to speak out against it.

Anyway, keep this man in your prayers everybody!

Here's some other people covering this as well:
King's Highway
Unconformed
Boy Scout Blogger
Mercy Now