Afghan Convert to Christianity 'Could Be Mad,' Says Prosecutor
by Jody Brown
March 22, 2006
(AgapePress) - - An appeal from the White House. Tens of thousands of e-mails urging President Bush to intervene. International reaction expressing concern for religious freedom. All of these are in response to the plight of an Afghan man who, because he converted from Islam to Christianity, faces possible execution if found guilty by a court in Kabul.Forty-one-year-old Abdul Rahman reportedly accepted Christ as his Savior 16 years ago while working with an international Christian ministry helping Afghan refugees in Pakistan. After several years in Germany, he returned to Kabul -- and last month, after being found in possession of a Bible, confessed to becoming a Christian.
Afghanistan's constitution guarantees religious liberty -- but because it is based on Shariah law, many Muslims interpret that to mean that any Muslim who rejects Islam be sentenced to death. Rahman's trial began last week, and is under close international scrutiny. He has refused to renounce his conversion to Christianity, even with a promise from prosecutors that charges would be dropped if he did so.
Associated Press now reports that the Afghan Christian may be deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. Prosecutor Sarinwal Zamari says "We think he could be mad. He is not a normal person. He doesn't talk like a normal person." If examined and found to be mentally unfit, says a religious advisor to Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Islam would have "no claim to punish him" and charges would be dropped.
AP cites sources who report that the question of Rahman's possible mental fitness may indicate the Afghan government, sensitive to the international reaction, is desperately searching for a way to drop the case.
Meanwhile, the United States, Britain, and other countries -- some with troops in Afghanistan -- have voiced concern about the trial. AP says Italy's foreign minister has summoned the Afghan ambassador in Rome and may ask the European Union to intercede on behalf of Rahman. Germany's foreign minister told a newspaper that he views the case with "great concern" and that German diplomats in Kabul have been in contact with Afghan officials about Rahman's case. On Tuesday the Bush administration, being careful not to interfere with Afghanistan's sovereignty, appealed to Kabul to allow Rahman to practice his faith in his home country. And today, ABC is reporting that Australia plans to lobby Afghanistan on behalf of Rahman.
International Concern Acknowledged
Afghanistan foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah says he is aware of concerns in the U.S. and elsewhere about Rahman's arrest, trial, and possible execution. In a briefing at the U.S. State Department, Abdullah said the Afghan embassy in Washington has received hundreds of messages of concern from Americans about the prosecution of Rahman -- but he makes no promises that the convert would be found innocent.
"The government of Afghanistan has nothing to do [with the charges brought against Rahman], and it's a legal and judicial case," Abdullah stated, "but I hope that through our constitutional process there will be a satisfactory result."
Nicholas Burns, the U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, said that in talks with Foreign Minister Abdullah, Washington has called for open proceedings in the trial. "I said on behalf of our government that we hope very much that the judicial case ... would be held in a transparent way," he explained.
The prosecution of a religious convert, said Burns, is a legitimate cause for international concern. "We believe in universal freedoms, and freedom of religion is one of them," the American official stated. "People should be free to choose their own religion, and people should not receive any severe penalties -- certainly not penalty of death [or imprisonment] -- for having made a personal choice as to what religion that person wishes to follow."
Fighting for Whose Freedom?
Some conservative leaders in the U.S. see some irony in the Rahman trial. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, for instance, says it is an "outrage" that a trial is even taking place.
"How can we congratulate ourselves for liberating Afghanistan from the rule of jihadists only to be ruled by Islamists who kill Christians?" Perkins asks, pointing out that the trial is a flagrant violation of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- which is incorporated into the new Afghan constitution.
"President Bush should immediately send Vice President Cheney or Secretary of State Rice to Kabul to read Hamid Karzai's government the riot act," the FRC president continues. "Americans will not give their blood and treasure to prop up new Islamic fundamentalist regimes. Americans have not given their lives so that Christians can be executed."
American Family Association founder and chairman Dr. Don Wildmon agrees. "We understand that this is a sensitive issue. But if the U.S. can send troops to die for the freedom of [Afghanis], then surely our country can use all channels available to keep Mr. Rahman from being executed ... simply because he is a Christian."
Wildmon asserts it is "absolutely wrong" to kill someone just because they have chosen to be a Christian. "This is not the kind of government and courts our soldiers are fighting and dying for," he says. Wildmon's group reports that more than 200,000 of its supporters have e-mailed President Bush, urging him to intervene to save Rahman's life.
Concerned Women for America has joined FRC and AFA in calling for Rahman's freedom. CWA president Wendy Wright says Rahman and every other Afghan citizen deserves freedom of religion.
"The ruling of this case is pivotal in that it will set a precedent for all that follow," Wright offers. "Abdul Rahman's life is on trial and religious freedom for Afghanistan hangs in the balance."
The pro-family leader takes note of Rahman's bravery. "We offer our respect and admiration to Mr. Rahman for his courage," she says. His unwavering conviction to take a stand for Christ is an example to us all."
Associated Press contributed to this story.
