John Howard & Condi Rice speak up on Abdul Rahman - Unfortunately, Muslim Clerics are speaking up too...

March 24 - Bloomberg

The case of an Afghan man facing a possible death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity is "appalling," Australian Prime Minister John Howard said.

"We're putting the lives of Australian soldiers on the line and this sort of thing is allowed," Howard told Melbourne radio station 3AW today. "When I saw the report about this I felt sick." Australia's government said last month it will send an additional 200 soldiers to serve in Afghanistan...

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"When I saw the report about
this I felt sick."

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...Howard said he would write to Afghan President Hamid Karzai to protest. The UN, the U.K. and U.S. have also raised the issue with the Afghan government, which has said it is up to the courts to decide the case. Afghanistan, supported by the international community, has moved toward democracy since the ousting of the Taliban, inaugurating its first parliament since 1969 in December.

The Australian government said Feb. 21 it will send an extra 200 soldiers to Afghanistan to help in reconstruction and security efforts in the south of the country. The deployment will increase Australia's military commitment to about 500 soldiers.

"The idea that a person could be punished because of their religious beliefs, and the idea that they might be executed is just beyond belief," Howard said. "I think this is appalling."

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"The idea that a person
could be punished because of
their religious beliefs, and the idea that
they might be executed is just beyond belief,
I think this is appalling."

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U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday spoke by telephone with Karzai on the matter, White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters in Washington.

"She made very clear what our views were in the strongest possible terms," McClellan said. "She stressed the importance of Afghanistan finding a favorable resolution to this." U.S. President George W. Bush said March 22 the case was "deeply troubling."

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist yesterday said Rice should press Afghanistan for Rahman's immediate release.

"It is fair to say that the United States has not spent the last four plus years liberating, defending, rebuilding and assisting Afghanistan's democratic development only to see the Afghani people remain subject to laws reminiscent of the Taliban's reign," Frist said in a letter to Rice.

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"the United States has not spent
the last four plus years liberating,
defending, rebuilding and assisting
Afghanistan's democratic development only
to see the Afghani people remain subject
to laws reminiscent of the Taliban's reign"

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March 24 - WaPo

In an unusual move, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned President Hamid Karzai on Thursday seeking what she called a "satisfactory outcome" 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.

"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.

...On Wednesday, authorities said 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 Shiite one interviewed by The Associated Press in four of Kabul's most popular mosques said they do not believe 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. But the people will kill him if he is freed," Hamidullah said.

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."

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"We will call on the people to
pull him into pieces
so there's nothing left."

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...Said Mirhossain Nasri, the top cleric at Hossainia Mosque, one of the largest Shiite places of worship in Kabul, said 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."

..."We are a small country and we welcome the help the outside world is giving us. But please don't interfere in this issue," Nasri said. "We are Muslims and these are our beliefs. This is much more important to us than all the aid the world has given us."

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"We are Muslims and these
are our beliefs. This is much
more important to us than all the aid
the world has given us."

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March 24 - NY Times

Afghan clerics used Friday Prayers at mosques across the capital to call for death for an Afghan man who converted to Christianity, despite widespread protest in the West.

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Afghan clerics used Friday Prayers
at mosques across the capital
to call for death for an Afghan man
who converted to Christianity

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As the international pressure on Afghanistan grew, the clerics demanded the execution of the Afghan, Abdul Rahman 41, if he does not convert back to Islam. His conversion 15 years ago was brought to the attention of Afghan authorities as part of a child custody dispute.

The Bush administration and European governments have strongly protested the case as a violation of religious freedom.

In Washington, a State Department spokesman was asked whether the United States had made it clear to the Afghan government that its conduct on the issue could have consequences for its relationship with the United States.

"It has been made abundantly clear to the government of Afghanistan how the United States feels about this issue and the importance that we attach to its positive resolution," the spokesman, Adam Ereli, replied.

Asked what should happen next, Mr. Ereli said, "The next step is for the issue to be resolved by the government of Afghanistan."

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