International Protests Fail: Afghan Man to Die

I am sick... Literally sick to my stomach that any human being, or any collaboration of human beings can be so cruel, idiotic, brainless as to even want to pull a man to "pieces so that there's nothing left." What a bloodthirsty bunch of murderers...

And what's the government's excuse for executing him? "The people are going to do it anyway, so we might as well save them the trouble and ourselves from a public uprising." That's essentially it. What a lousy excuse to sin. Other people are sinning, so we might as well do it to. Do you know what sort of place this world would be if we all had a mindset like that?

Anyway...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Senior Muslim clerics demanded yesterday that an Afghan man on trial for converting from Islam to Christianity be executed, warning that if the government caves in to Western pressure and frees him, they will incite people to "pull him into pieces."

In an unusual move, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned President Hamid Karzai yesterday seeking a "favorable resolution" of the case of Abdul Rahman.

The 41-year-old former medical aid worker faces the death penalty under Afghanistan's Islamic laws for becoming a Christian. His trial has fired passions in this Muslim nation and highlighted a conflict of values between the West and Islam, which forbids those born as Muslims from converting to other religions.

"Rejecting Islam is insulting God. We will not allow God to be humiliated. This man must die," said cleric Abdul Raoulf, who is considered a moderate and was jailed three times for opposing the Taliban before the hard-line regime was ousted in 2001.

The trial, which began last week, has caused an international outcry. President Bush has said he is "deeply troubled" by the case and expects the country to "honor the universal principle of freedom."

Miss Rice's spokesman, Sean McCormack, said she told Mr. Karzai it is important for the Afghan people to know that freedom of religion is observed in their country. But in deference to the country's sovereignty, Miss Rice evidently did not demand specifically that the trial be halted and the defendant released. "This is clearly an Afghan decision," Mr. McCormack said. "They are a sovereign country."

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said yesterday after speaking with Mr. Karzai that the Christian convert will not face the death penalty, Agence France-Presse reported from Ottawa. "I phoned President Karzai personally yesterday to express our concern. He conveyed to me that we don't have to worry about any such eventual outcome," Mr. Harper told reporters.

Diplomats have said the Afghan government is searching for a way to drop the case. On Wednesday, authorities said Mr. Rahman is suspected of being mentally ill and would undergo psychological examinations to see whether he is fit to stand trial.

But three Sunni preachers and a Shi'ite one interviewed by the Associated Press in four of Kabul's most popular mosques said they do not think Mr. Rahman is insane. "He is not crazy. He went in front of the media and confessed to being a Christian," said Hamidullah, chief cleric at Haji Yacob Mosque. "The government is scared of the international community," he said. "But the people will kill him if he is freed."

Mr. Raoulf, who is a member of the country's main Islamic organization, the Afghan Ulama Council, agreed. "The government is playing games. The people will not be fooled. Cut off his head," he exclaimed, sitting in a courtyard outside Herati Mosque. "We will call on the people to pull him into pieces so there's nothing left." He said the only way for Mr. Rahman to survive would be for him to go into exile.

But Said Mirhossain Nasri, the top cleric at Hossainia Mosque, one of the largest Shi'ite places of worship in Kabul, said Mr. Rahman must not be allowed to leave the country. "If he is allowed to live in the West, then others will claim to be Christian so they can too," he said. "We must set an example. ... He must be hanged."

Afghanistan's constitution is based on Shariah law, which is interpreted by many Muslims to require that any Muslim who rejects Islam be sentenced to death.

Hamidullah warned that if the government frees Mr. Rahman, "there will be an uprising" like one against Soviet occupying forces in the 1980s. "The government will lose the support of the people," he said.

Muslims are hardly worthy to be called humans. They don't follow basic humanitarian laws (God's laws)! It's like a bunch of murderers who got together and formed a country. Now I realize that there are definitely good people in there, and are most likely others that God has chosen to come to Him, so I'm mainly referring to the moderate-radical muslim population. But still, how can anyone actually WANT to kill another person simply because of a difference in religious beliefs? Unbelievable, people! Unbelievable...

On the other hand, however, I must say that I can't help but notice two good things that will come from the death of this man. One is that he will be in Heaven and actually enjoying a better life than we are. We should be happy for him in a way since he's going to a perfect life.

Secondly, the whole world will see, as a result of his death for no logical reason, what animalistic people true muslims are. And maybe this will wake them up and shut their mouths every time they start to say "oh those poor muslim people we're killing over there..." And don't forget, the people who want to kill Mr. Rahman are considered moderate muslims. I can't even imagine what radical muslims would do!

At any rate, who knows, maybe God will cause something to happen that will still save the life of this man. So again, keep praying everybody!