Afghan Convert May Be Unfit for Trial

By DANIEL COONEY,
Associated Press Writer
Wed Mar 22, 8:26 AM ET

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan man facing a possible death penalty for
converting from Islam to Christianity may be mentally unfit to stand trial,
a state prosecutor said Wednesday.

Abdul Rahman, 41, has been charged with rejecting Islam, a crime under
this country's Islamic laws. His trial started last week and he confessed to
becoming a Christian 16 years ago. If convicted, he could be executed.

But prosecutor Sarinwal Zamari said questions have been raised about his
mental fitness.

"We think he could be mad. He is not a normal person. He doesn't talk like
a normal person," he told The Associated Press.

Moayuddin Baluch, a religious adviser to President Hamid Karzai, said
Rahman would undergo a psychological examination.

"Doctors must examine him," he said. "If he is mentally unfit, definitely
Islam has no claim to punish him. He must be forgiven. The case must
be dropped."

It was not immediately clear when he would be examined or when the
trial would resume. Authorities have barred attempts by the AP to see
Rahman and he is not believed to have a lawyer.

A Western diplomat in Kabul and a human rights advocate — both of
whom spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the
matter — said the government was desperately searching for a way to
drop the case because of the reaction it has caused.

The United States, Britain and other countries that have troops in
Afghanistan have voiced concern about Rahman's fate.

The Bush administration Tuesday issued a subdued appeal to Kabul
to let Rahman practice his faith in safety. German Roman Catholic
Cardinal Karl Lehmann said the trial sent an "alarming signal" about
freedom of worship in Afghanistan.

The case is believed to be the first of its kind in Afghanistan and
highlights a struggle between religious conservatives and reformists
over what shape Islam should take there four years after the ouster
of the fundamentalist Taliban regime.

Afghanistan's constitution is based on Shariah law, which is interpreted
by many Muslims to require that any Muslim who rejects Islam be
sentenced to death. The state-sponsored Afghanistan Independent
Human Rights Commission has called for Rahman to be punished,
arguing he clearly violated Islamic law.

The case has received widespread attention in Afghanistan where
many people are demanding Rahman be severely punished.

"For 30 years, we have fought religious wars in this country and
there is no way we are going to allow an Afghan to insult us by
becoming Christian," said Mohammed Jan, 38, who lives opposite
Rahman's father, Abdul Manan, in Kabul. "This has brought so
much shame."

Rahman is believed to have converted from Islam to Christianity
while working as a medical aid worker for an international Christian
group helping Afghan refugees in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.

He then moved to Germany for nine years before returning to Kabul
in 2002, after the ouster of the hard-line Taliban regime.

Police arrested him last month after discovering him in possession of
a Bible during questioning over a dispute for custody of his two daughters.
Prosecutors have offered to drop the charges if Rahman converts back to
Islam, but he has refused.

Associated Press correspondent Amir Shah contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060322/ap_on_re_as/afghan_christian_convert

_____

"Christian Convert Faces Death Penalty in Afganistan"
Daniel Cooney in Kabul
Monday March 20, 2006

A man could be sentenced to death after being charged with converting from
Islam to Christianity, a crime under Afghanistan's shariah laws, a judge said
yesterday. The trial is thought to be the first of its kind in Afghanistan and
highlights a struggle between religious conservatives and reformists over what
shape Islam will take four years after the fall of the Taliban.

Abdul Rahman, 41, was arrested last month after his family accused him of
becoming a Christian, Judge Ansarullah Mawlavezada told Associated Press.
The accused was charged with rejecting Islam.

During the one-day hearing on Thursday, the defendant allegedly confessed
to converting to Christianity 16 years ago while working as a medical aid
worker for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in the
Pakistani city of Peshawar, Judge Mawlavezada said.

"We are not against any particular religion in the world. But in Afghanistan,
this sort of thing is against the law," the judge said. "It is an attack on Islam."
He will rule on the case within two months.

Shariah law states that any Muslim who rejects Islam should be sentenced to
death, according to Ahmad Fahim Hakim, deputy chairman of the state-
sponsored Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. Repeated
attempts to impose a jail sentence were barred.

The prosecutor, Abdul Wasi, said he had offered to drop the charges if Mr
Rahman converted back to Islam, but he refused. "He would have been
forgiven if he changed back. But he said he was a Christian and would
always remain one," Mr Wasi said. "We are Muslims and becoming a
Christian is against our laws. He must get the death penalty."

A Christian aid worker in Kabul, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said
there was no reliable figure for the number of Afghan Christians. He said few
admit their faith because of fear of retribution and there are no known Afghan
churches. An old house in a war-wrecked suburb of Kabul serves as a Christian
place of worship for expatriates. The only other churches are believed to be
inside foreign embassies or on bases belonging to the US-led coalition or a Nato
peacekeeping force.

The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1734776,00.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/