Christian Convert Vanishes After Release

[maddezmom]

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan man who had faced the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity quickly vanished Tuesday after he was released from prison, apparently out of fear for his life with Muslim clerics still demanding his death.

Italy's Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini said he would ask his government to grant Abdul Rahman asylum. Fini was among the first to speak out on the man's behalf.

Rahman, 41, was released from the high-security Policharki prison on the outskirts of Kabul late Monday, Afghan Justice Minister Mohammed Sarwar Danish told The Associated Press.

"We released him last night because the prosecutors told us to," he said. "His family was there when he was freed, but I don't know where he was taken."

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060328/ap_on_re_as/afghan_christian_convert;_

[rodeodance]

1. He is a dead man walking if he shows his face in Afgan.

[ConcernedCanuk]

2. Wise man that -

.
.
.

He's about as safe as a pedophile, child molester or a snitch in the "General Population" (as it refers to prisons)

[no_hypocrisy]

3. He'll be on the "700 Club" with Pat Robertson the day after

tomorrow after he's rested from his flight. Or he'll be paraded in front of the cameras with *, projecting the perpetual fight for the rights of Christians around the world.

[tocqueville]

4. raptured ?

Hallelujah !

[izzie]

5. LIke the Middle Ages. Are these countries ever going to get with it?

Poor guy. I knew Indians that were Christians and they said it was fine in India. But I had men from Parka tan really give me a hard time in SA. They are as bad as some of these right wing nuts I ran into in the South that came to may door and some times walked right in to my home spitting out this crazy right wing religious stuff. It is scary.I was so sure we had got over most of this stuff but it seems to be every place.

[ladjf]

8. The ironic thing is that while the Koran states "slay the infidels,

but, spare the followers of the man from Nazareth." I'm no scholar of Islam but I saw that statement myself in the Koran. (I paraphrased the quote. I read it 20 years ago.)

[megatherium]

9. As I understand it, Christians are to be left alone, but conversions to

Christianity by Muslims, or apostasy in general by Muslims, are not tolerated in traditional Islamic law. Nor is any sort of proselytism. In modern Arab/Muslim countries, there tend to be sharp limits as to what Christians can do. Christians are allowed to worship but are not allowed to worship in a way that draws any attention to themselves (they cannot sing or play loud music if audible outside their church, and they cannot have calls to prayer or bells ringing). Christians are allowed to have their own church buildings but they must obtain permission to build new ones (seldom given) or to rehab old ones (difficult to get). They must pay a tax to the Muslim authorities. They must not proselytize nor can they criticize Islam (a grievous offense, punishable by death in some countries). In Saudi Arabia, however, Christianity is prohibited: you cannot have Christian worship even in the privacy of your own home.

[izzie]

14. When I was in SA these people liked JC. He is a great man in their

books but they did not let you bring a cross or Bible into the country.

[ladjf]

15. That is borne out in the text of Koran.

I was struck by the fact that the Koran actually made mention of Jesus, but referred to as "The man or teacher from Nazarath". (I'm paraphrasing that qoute.)

[acmavm]

6. Italy was the first to offer that man asylum? What the hell? Where

was that famous compassionate Christian george bush**?

[derby378]

7. Actually, NBC is reporting that Rahman asked Italy for asylum

Stay tuned...

[underpants]

10. Italy to Offer Afghan Christian Convert Asylum, Ministry Says

What W couldn't offer this guy asylum? That's not a very Christian thing to do.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000082&sid=aDEVN7DR8szo&refer=canada


March 28 (Bloomberg) -- Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini plans to offer political asylum to an Afghan man facing a possible death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity, the foreign ministry said on its Web site.

Fini said he'll ask Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Cabinet at a meeting tomorrow to offer to host Abdul Rahman, 41. Rahman may receive asylum in ``one of the countries interested in a peaceful solution to this case,'' the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a statement yesterday.

Rahman's case prompted international appeals to the Afghan government from Italy, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Australia and Canada, which all have soldiers in Afghanistan. He was released from jail today after the government ruled Rahman was mentally unfit to stand trial, the Associated Press reported.

[Taxloss]

11. Election ploy by Berlusconi.

Cheap publictity, he's a master of it.

[monktonman]

12. and I'm sure he'll also use this to say

how "they" are now trying to threaten us because we offered this poor man asylum so vote for me and I will protect you. yadda, yadda

[ugarte]

13. He can live at the Vatican protected by the elite Swiss guards...nt