Rahman Granted Asylum in Italy
Friday March 31, 2006
Category: International Human Rights | Religious Liberty
When we last heard from Abdul Rahman, the Afghan Christian who faced a possible death penalty for leaving Islam, he had been acquitted on grounds of insanity. But with countless fatwas issued on his life, it appeared that Rahman had only traded execution at the hands of the Afghan government for lynching at the hands of terrorists.
Fortunately for Rahman, Pope Benedict XVI and the Italian government have been successful in quietly spiriting him away to Italy, where he will be given a new identity. Those who called for his lynching are now turning their attention to the Karzai administration, which facilitated his escape despite Parliament's attempt to prevent him from leaving the country:
Muhammad Hanif, a purported spokesman for the hardline Taleban, denounced the President as a puppet and called for a jihad against him. He said in a statement: “We condemn this crime of the puppet administration. We ask our Muslim brothers to take their position against this offence by the enemies of Islam and to act, based on their responsibility to their religion and God, and to start jihad against Karzai’s administration.”
The Afghan parliament overwhelmingly backed a resolution banning Mr Rahman from leaving the country, but he had left by the time it was passed. Parliament then said that it would hold an inquiry into Western interference.
The intervention of Parliament has shown a more disturbing national problem in Afghanistan, which is somewhat more serious than the behavior of one regional judge. Clearly the majority opinion of the Afghan Parliament is that Rahman deserved to die for converting to Christianity; forcing him to remain in the country, given the many bounties on his life, would be tantamount to a death sentence. If Parliament's views are also those of the majority of the Afghan people, then the establishment of an Afghan democracy may ultimately restore many of the same oppressive policies that were in place under the Taliban regime.
When we last heard from Abdul Rahman, the Afghan Christian who faced a possible death penalty for leaving Islam, he had been acquitted on grounds of insanity. But with countless fatwas issued on his life, it appeared that Rahman had only traded execution at the hands of the Afghan government for lynching at the hands of terrorists.
Fortunately for Rahman, Pope Benedict XVI and the Italian government have been successful in quietly spiriting him away to Italy, where he will be given a new identity. Those who called for his lynching are now turning their attention to the Karzai administration, which facilitated his escape despite Parliament's attempt to prevent him from leaving the country:
Muhammad Hanif, a purported spokesman for the hardline Taleban, denounced the President as a puppet and called for a jihad against him. He said in a statement: “We condemn this crime of the puppet administration. We ask our Muslim brothers to take their position against this offence by the enemies of Islam and to act, based on their responsibility to their religion and God, and to start jihad against Karzai’s administration.”
The Afghan parliament overwhelmingly backed a resolution banning Mr Rahman from leaving the country, but he had left by the time it was passed. Parliament then said that it would hold an inquiry into Western interference.
The intervention of Parliament has shown a more disturbing national problem in Afghanistan, which is somewhat more serious than the behavior of one regional judge. Clearly the majority opinion of the Afghan Parliament is that Rahman deserved to die for converting to Christianity; forcing him to remain in the country, given the many bounties on his life, would be tantamount to a death sentence. If Parliament's views are also those of the majority of the Afghan people, then the establishment of an Afghan democracy may ultimately restore many of the same oppressive policies that were in place under the Taliban regime.
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