CNN: Hundreds protest reports Afghan convert to be freed

[DeepModem Mom]

Hundreds protest reports Afghan convert to be freed
Monday, March 27, 2006

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Hundreds of people protested in a northern Afghan city following reports that a man who faced a possible death penalty for converting to Christianity would be released, officials said.

About 700 Muslim clerics and others chanted "Death to Bush" and other anti-Western slogans in Mazar-e-Sharif on Monday, officials told The Associated Press.

Clerics have called for protests across Afghanistan against both the government and the West, which had pressured President Hamid Karzai's administration to drop the case against Abdul Rahman.

On Sunday, a Western diplomat and Afghan officials close to Karzai told CNN that Rahman would be released soon.

Other sources in the Afghan judiciary said the case against Rahman had been thrown out on technical grounds and sent back to prosecutors to gather more evidence....

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/03/27/afghan.convert/index.html

[savemefromdumbya]

1. Bush not making such a good job at 'freeing' Afghanistan is he?

[rodeodance]

12. the afgans are free to choose.

[Ron Green]

2. Religious insanity really knows no borders, does it?

[napi21]

3. I wonder if the Afghan fundies will abduct and kill him anyway?

I can't get a real feel for how many of these radicals there are in Afghan now. If there are a lot, don't you think they'll be so upset at this guys release they'll just take things into their own hands?

[Dhalgren]

5. Those are my thoughts, as well.

This guy's life isn't worth a plug-nickle, if he just "released". I have read that the guy wants to be martyred for the faith, if so, his dead anyway...

[Southsideirish]

8. I bet we "help" him get the heck out of there now. Maybe come here for

a nice photo op. Gotta keep those fundies happy.

[wakeme2008]

10. Add me to the list that this guy needs to get out of there fast nt

[HeatherDawn]

4. Perhaps we didn't spread the freedom thick enough

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. Goodness knows, we've spread the BS thick enough n/t

[IndianaGreen]

7. Looks like another war goes into the lost column!

US 0 Iraq 1
US 0 Afghanistan 1
US ? Iran ?

[bowens43]

9. Isn't freedom wonderful?

Is this what you bushies expected?????

[rodeodance]

13. esp. the purple fingers (they voted for this).

[DBoon]

11. and think that Americans died for this

nt

[Lone_Star_Dem]

18. And more will

We're still there.

[maddezmom]

14. if he isin't let out of jail so and flees to another country

my bet is they will try him again.

[okieinpain]

15. gather more evidence.... hahahahahaha, funny shit man. that is

really funny. what the hell do they need to do in this case, get statements from other people. yep that rahman he's a christian. man oh, man religion is the true weapon of mass destruction.

"Other sources in the Afghan judiciary said the case against Rahman had been thrown out on technical grounds and sent back to prosecutors to gather more evidence...."

[klebean]

19. either the guy is schizophrenic or

they're going to say he is - nice and tidy solution, eh?
from the end of the bbc article:

'Mental issues'

Earlier, Mr Rahman's family asked the court to dismiss the case against him, saying he suffered from mental illness.

Some reports say Mr Rahman was taken to a mental institution on Monday for tests.

Supreme Court Judge Ansarullah Mawlavizada told the BBC there was considerable doubt that Mr Rahman was fit to stand trial.

According to Judge Mawlavizada, Mr Rahman appeared "disturbed".

He said the accused man's relatives had told the authorities he was insane and that they claimed Mr Rahman had said he heard strange voices in his head.

The judge also said it was not clear if the accused was really an Afghan or a citizen of another country.

Mr Rahman has lived outside Afghanistan for 16 years and is believed to have converted to Christianity during a stay in Germany.

[arewenotdemo]

22. "Strange" voices, huh?

They wouldn't be strange in these parts. That's JEEBUS talkin!

[sattahipdeep]

16. Harsh realities (Condoleeza Rice)

99% of Afghans are Muslim

Afghanistan has an Islamic constitution which must be respected.

....
"We're going to stand firm for
the principle that religious
freedom and freedom of religious
conscience need to be upheld"
US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice

:rofl:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4848614.stm

[Igel]

17. As one cleric put it,

the man's conversion "humiliated Allah." I don't know if my god is bigger than theirs, but I know mine is much less easily humiliated.

And doesn't need an Afghan to defend himself, if he's so inclined.

[Barrett808]

20. Really, I mean, is it possible to humiliate a deity? n/t

[daleo]

24. Well the Bible implies it is

Among other things, God doesn't like having his name taken in vain. Presumably God finds this humiliating.

[The Stranger]

21. Why does this remind me of the Terry Schiavo fiasco?

[enigma000]

23. Except these protesters want to pull the plug on a man

that's walking and talking. I mean, I could understand both sides of the Terry Schiavo debate; this doesn't make a lot of sense to a Westerner.

Oh, you mean maybe this is the Afghan version of the Terry Schiavo deal. Could be. I'm not sure how you convince a country of 25 million that executing a man for his religious beliefs is wrong.

[rmgarrette64]

25. Violently, of course.

Could be. I'm not sure how you convince a country of 25 million that executing a man for his religious beliefs is wrong.

I'm afraid I tend to think of the British experience in India. When confronted with the Indian custom of settee, the response was something along the lines of:

"You have your customs, we have ours. One of ours is to hang people who burn women. Build your funeral pyre, and we'll build a gallows."

Settee died out, and India is the better for it.

I don't like endorsing violence, but there is still room for it, especially in opposing barbarity.

R. Garrett

[enigma000]

26. That's a long term and labour intensive plan

One that I don't think the Western World wants to implement. Forcing Afghanistan into the modern world could take generations. And with Iran and Pakistan next door, it may never be complete.

The international community went for the path of least resistance - we removed the Taliban and let the Afghans build their own country the way they wanted it to be. So we got Sharia law. Go figure.

Look at the troubles in Iraq; that should have been an easier occupation - at least the Kurds liked us. And the Shia felt some gratitude for being emancipated.

[ismnotwasm]

27. I liked this little Q &A session from "Islam online"

I actually listened to a 30 minute on-line sermon with a frustrated Imam? I'm not sure what you call an Islam cleric or preacher, who was angry that this issue came up at THIS time, and personally felt that if someone left Islam it was their loss. (More or less) and went on to talk about some of the beautiful things about the Muslim culture that we in the west never hear. (I'm a secular person, and I don't go to church, so I haven't listened to a 30 minute sermon in some years) Extremist everywhere just seem to want to destroy the world, piece by piece, body by body.
http://www.islamonline.net/english/index.shtml
Edit, I had to fix the link the Q &A is in the upper right corner if anybody is interested