**** Dihukum mati hanya karena pindah agama?... ya ampun
By DANIEL COONEY, Associated Press Writer
KABUL, Afghanistan - Senior Muslim clerics demanded Thursday that an
Afghan man on trial for converting from Islam to Christianity be
executed, warning that if the government caves in to Western
pressure and frees him, they will incite people to "pull him into
pieces."
In an unusual move, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
telephoned President Hamid Karzai on Thursday seeking a "favorable
resolution" of the case of Abdul Rahman. The 41-year-old former
medical aid worker faces the death penalty under Afghanistan's
Islamic laws for becoming a Christian.
His trial has fired passions in this conservative Muslim nation and
highlighted a conflict of values between Afghanistan and its Western
backers.
"Rejecting Islam is insulting God. We will not allow God to be
humiliated. This man must die," said cleric Abdul Raoulf, who is
considered a moderate and was jailed three times for opposing the
Taliban before the hard-line regime was ousted in 2001.
The trial, which began last week, has caused an international
outcry. President Bush has said he is "deeply troubled" by the
case and expects the country to "honor the universal principle of
freedom."
Rice spokesman Sean McCormack said she told Karzai it is important
for the Afghan people to know that freedom of religion is observed
in their country. But in deference to the country's sovereignty,
Rice evidently did not demand specifically that the trial be halted
and the defendant released.
"This is clearly an Afghan decision," McCormack said. "They are a
sovereign country."
Still, Rice's direct appeal to a foreign leader in a judicial
proceeding in their own country is an unusual move.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters she had received
assurances from Karzai in a telephone call that Rahman would not be
sentenced to death.
"I have the impression that he (Karzai) has a firm willingness" to
abide by the human rights requirements, Merkel said going into pre-
European Union summit talks. "I hope we will be able to resolve
this."
Diplomats have said the Afghan government is searching for a way to
drop the case. On Wednesday, authorities said Rahman is suspected of
being mentally ill and would undergo psychological examinations to
see whether he is fit to stand trial.
But three Sunni preachers and a Shiite one interviewed by The
Associated Press in four of Kabul's most popular mosques said they
do not believe Rahman is insane.
"He is not crazy. He went in front of the media and confessed to
being a Christian," said Hamidullah, chief cleric at Haji Yacob
Mosque.
"The government is scared of the international community. But the
people will kill him if he is freed."
Raoulf, who is a member of the country's main Islamic organization,
the Afghan Ulama Council, agreed. "The government is playing games.
The people will not be fooled."
"Cut off his head!" he exclaimed, sitting in a courtyard outside
Herati Mosque. "We will call on the people to pull him into pieces
so there's nothing left."
He said the only way for Rahman to survive would be for him to go
into exile.
But Said Mirhossain Nasri, the top cleric at Hossainia Mosque, one
of the largest Shiite places of worship in Kabul, said Rahman must
not be allowed to leave the country.
"If he is allowed to live in the West, then others will claim to be
Christian so they can too," he said. "We must set an example. ... He
must be hanged."
The clerics said they were angry with the United States and other
countries for pushing for Rahman's freedom.
"We are a small country and we welcome the help the outside world is
giving us. But please don't interfere in this issue," Nasri
said. "We are Muslims and these are our beliefs. This is much more
important to us than all the aid the world has given us."
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.
Hamidullah warned that if the government frees Rahman, "there will
be an uprising" like one against Soviet occupying forces in the
1980s.
"The government will lose the support of the people," he said. "What
sort of democracy would it be if the government ignored the will of
all the people."
Meanwhile, human rights group Amnesty International said if Rahman
has been detained solely for his religious beliefs, he would be
a "prisoner of conscience."
"The charges against him should be dropped and if necessary he
should be protected against any abuses within the community," the
London-based group said in a statement.
Rahman is believed to have lived in Germany for nine years after
converting to Christianity while working as a medical aid worker for
an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in
Pakistan. He returned to Kabul in 2002.
It was not immediately clear when Rahman's trial will resume.
Authorities have barred attempts by the AP to see him and he is not
believed to have a lawyer.
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