Clerics demand sharia trial for convert
by
Monday 27 March 2006 6:14 AM GMT
Rahman (R) converted while working in Pakistan
Clerics have led several hundred people in protests in the northern
Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, demanding that a convert to
Christianity be tried under Islamic law.
Abdul Rahman, 40, was detained earlier this month for rejecting Islam
and may face the death penalty, although the signs are that the
authorities are looking for a way quietly to drop the case.
The case has raised protests in the West, threatening to create a
rift between Afghanistan and the US and other Western backers who
have called for the man's release.
"America stop interference, [President] Karzai enforce justice, he
should be punished," one cleric told the crowd.
Security forces surrounded the protesters but did not intervene.
The religious leaders called for protests across the country against
the government and the West.
Earlier on Monday, a prosecutor said the case against Rahman depended
on the result of a mental examination.
The prosecutor, Zemarai, who uses only one name, declined to give
details of the examination but said it would take place on Monday.
A spokesman for the Supreme Court had earlier stated that checks were
also necessary to see if Rahman had a second nationality. He did not
elaborate.
Analysts expect the case to be dropped if Rahman is found to be
unstable.
"America stop interference, Karzai enforce justice, he should be
punished"
Cleric in the protest
Rahman told a preliminary hearing two weeks ago that he had become a
Christian while working for an aid group helping Afghan refugees in
Pakistan, 15 years ago. He has denied that he is mentally unstable.
Death is the punishment stipulated by the Islamic sharia law for
apostasy. The Afghan legal system is based on a mix of civil and
sharia law.
According to the Afghan constitution, "no law can be contrary to the
sacred religion of Islam". But the constitution also states that
Afghanistan will abide by international agreements, including the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrines freedom of
religion.
The government has been searching for a way out of the problem,
trying to satisfy Western demands while not angering Afghanistan's
powerful conservatives, who have stated that they will "consider
struggle their legal and religious duty" if Islamic law is not
enforced in this case.
Agencies
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You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1241018F-446C-44A7-A325-
1E4A93A58C80.htm
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