NYT/Reuters: Afghan Clerics Threaten Trouble Over Convert

[DeepModem Mom]

Afghan Clerics Threaten Trouble Over Convert
By REUTERS
Published: April 2, 2006

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan clerics and their followers threatened violence against the government on Sunday over the release of a Christian convert, saying he had to be brought back from Italy and put on trial.

There has been fiery criticism of the government over the release of the convert, who was spirited out of the country last week, but protests have been few and peaceful.

The convert, Abdur Rahman, 40, was jailed last month for converting to Christianity and could have faced trial under Islamic sharia law that stipulates death as punishment for apostasy.

After a storm of Western criticism, led by the United States, Rahman was released and taken to Italy.

About 1,000 people gathered in a mosque in the northeastern town of Kunduz and demanded that Rahman be brought back from Italy and sentenced to death....

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-religion-afghan.html

[bemildred]

1. Someone needs to slap these people around.

Not likely, I know, but it would be good to see.

This whole story reeks of being a political dog-and-pony show, too, but humans being the sort of fools that they are, it could well be real.

[saltpoint]

2. Private religious belief tripswitching international conflict.

Yuck.

[DavidDvorkin]

3. The CIA could help the Afghans resolve this

They have experience at kidnapping people in Italy and spiriting them out of the country.

[acmavm]

4. The clerics are are insane. There is not one damn thing that we can

ever do that will bring them out of their Middle Ages burn 'em at the stake mentality. Nothing.

Ask the Russians.