Afghan Christian Convert Faces Execution

Muslim clerics say Abdul Rahman, 41, must be executed despite Western outrage. Rahman 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. "We think he could be mad. He is not a normal person. He doesn't talk like a normal person," said prosecutor Sarinwal Zamari.

Moayuddin Baluch, a religious adviser to President Hamid Karzai, said Rahman would undergo a psychological examination. "If he is mentally unfit, definitely Islam has no claim to punish him," he said. "He must be forgiven. The case must be dropped." However, senior clerics warn that if the government caves into Western pressure and frees him they will incite people to quote -- "pull him into pieces." One cleric, who is considered a moderate, says "this man must die."

Meanwhile, 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. Canada, the United States and other countries that have troops in Afghanistan have voiced concern about Rahman's fate.

A spokesman for Karzai, Khaleeq Ahmed, said the government would not interfere in the case but that the government "will make sure human rights are observed." 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 four years after the ouster of the fundamentalist Taliban regime.

Afghanistan's constitution is based on the Shariah, which is interpreted by some 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. It was not immediately clear when Rahman would be examined or when the trial would resume.

Television footage of Rahman at last week's hearing shows him leafing through a Bible before saying, "They want to sentence me to death and I accept it, but I am not a deserter and not an infidel. I am a Christian, which means I believe in the Trinity."

With close-cropped hair and a beard, and dressed in a baggy shirt and pants, Rahman spoke in a level voice and waved his hands in an imploring gesture. Rahman's neighbours in Kabul showed little sympathy for him.

"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. "This has brought so much shame."

Rahman is believed to have converted to Christianity while working as a medical aid worker for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in Pakistan. He then moved to Germany for nine years before returning to Kabul in 2002, after the ouster of the Taliban regime.

Police arrested him last month after discovering him in possession of a Bible during questioning over a dispute over custody of his two daughters.


- article posted in National Post

The Future of Iran

Greetings everyone!

As I'm sure you've all been following the international dialogue surrounding Iran's nuclear development program, I've received some suggestions to post an article reflecting the current situation.

As the world is aware, Iran has been working towards developing nuclear weapons. After dismissing several recommendations from surrounding Muslim nations, as well as the pleas of the world community to abandon such plans, the future is unknown for the situation set to transpire in the Middle East. The IAEA has held failed talks with the Islamic Republic, showcasing an ongoing problem in Iran's unwillingness to negotiate.

The Quartet Committee grouping the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia, has been the key Mideast peace brokers. However, even alternative choices and potential solutions by this group have fallen on deaf ears, as Iran pledges to move forward with its plan to continue enriching uranium, intending to focus on creating nuclear materials without IAEA supervision and approval.

As the situation worsens, one can't help but feel a sense of anxiety toward the idea of a future war in Persia. As democratic citizens, we believe constructive dialogue is the key to a safer world, and war must only be a tool used when all other means have failed. But how can one who has truly studied the current situation in its entirety still hold any 'practial' hope that this situation can be side-stepped and an agreement reached?

What we have is perhaps a very ignorant President in Iran, one who refuses to represent the beliefs held by the majority of his Republic, but rather, pursues his own personal interests while defying world regulations. Although one could argue that George Bush might be characterized the same way, I should point out that prior to the the invasion of Iraq, the American President did in fact hold the support of the majority of US citizens. His approval rating has since dropped significantly along with support for the War in Iraq, which is expected due to war being a process that brings with it uncertainty, instability, and loss of support over time. In order to accept the current promise America has accepted, we must realize that Iraq was meant as just a stepping stone towards converting most Islamic states into democratic entities. The task the US faces will not be completed by November of 2008 when Bush leaves office, nor by 2010. It will be decades before foreign nations leave the Middle East, so we might as well accept it for what it is.

On the opposite side of the table, sitting across from Iran is a plethora of nations to whom war is no new matter. They have witnessed first-hand the consequences of waiting too long to confront the matter of terrorism, as well as the experience of entering a country with their eyes closed. Because they have fallen victim to both situations, one can assume they are much less tolerant of being both defied and humiliated. This leads me to believe that when the world's attention is turned to Iran, the US will not be playing games. They will garner international support and proceed into Persia under the presumption that letting a situation like this linger will carry with it serious consequences to future tranquility.

It is a known fact that cancer can be best eliminated when detected in its early stages. And so, like a doctor taking his place above an ailing patient, I believe we will see an American scalpel held by the world community carefully examine its infected Iranian counterpart, and then move in for what it hopes will be a solution to the infirmity. Do I support the Iranian people? Yes. Do I support their government? No. Will peace eventually come to its people? It will take a committed set of nations, the united effort of many, and most importantly the courage of a people who wont stand idly by when the prospect of democracy in the Middle East comes knocking.

- Josh Bower