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March 22, 2006

I found what Ken mentioned about the poor guy facing death for converting to Christianity...

here.

"For 30 years, we have fought religious wars in this country and there is no way we are going to allow an Afghan to insult us by becoming Christian," said Mohammed Jan, 38, who lives opposite Rahman's father, Abdul Manan, in Kabul. "This has brought so much shame."

Rahman is believed to have converted from Islam to Christianity while working as a medical aid worker for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.

He then moved to Germany for nine years before returning to Kabul in 2002, after the ouster of the hard-line Taliban regime.

Police arrested him last month after discovering him in possession of a Bible during questioning over a dispute for custody of his two daughters. Prosecutors have offered to drop the charges if Rahman converts back to Islam, but he has refused.

This is unacceptable.

Posted by Crusader at March 22, 2006 11:51 AM

Comments

I hope the Afghani ambassador left Washington this week with a big thumbprint on his forehead as a reminder.

Posted by: Sluggo at March 22, 2006 12:15 PM

For the hundred thousandth time I'm astounded that the neighbor is more insulted by Rahman's conversion from Islam than the actual barbarity of his fellow Muslims. Somehow, leaving is more shameful than dragging down the reputation of an entire billion co-religionists.

Then again I can't help but observe that Rahman, in leaving behind Islam, also left behind the pillaging, victimology, and vicious behavior.

Posted by: Nightfly at March 22, 2006 12:22 PM

"For 30 years, we have fought religious wars in this country and there is no way we are going to allow an Afghan to insult us by becoming Christian,"

...and maybe not fighting? The mind boggles. How dare he insult the Religion of Peace by, er, um, not fighting!

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at March 22, 2006 12:41 PM

I would also be interested to know how Afghanistan claims to have jurisdiction to prosecute this "crime" that took place in either Pakistan or Germany. Is it asserting that is has authority over its citizens everywhere in the world?

Posted by: Dave J at March 22, 2006 01:23 PM

Well, RoPers seem to claim that all of us infidels ought to abide by their religion, so it makes sense, no?

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at March 22, 2006 01:46 PM

We sure did good work in Afghanistan. We really made sure that constitution with respect for human rights took hold.

Which was my problem with the Iraqi one, if you enshrine religious law in the constitution and also include human rights, which one do you think will win when push comes to shove?

Rahman will find out the hard way, and Afghanistan will suffer few consequences for this act of barbarism.

Posted by: Tainted Bill at March 22, 2006 09:14 PM

It happens in India too, sort-of. India enshrines three different Religions in Law, and it creates legal havoc in a corrupt system. If not simply outright jail-time, then Hindu nationalists call for punishment of peope who change religion - and "sectarian violence" is not uncommon. It's a regular accusation among vested segments of the population (Brahmins) who don't recognize any validity to religious freedom (and who depend on others to pay their way forward), and accuse those who convert as paid-for by "outside powers."

Posted by: -keith in Silicon Valley at March 23, 2006 12:17 AM