Mood hardens against Afghan convert
By Sanjoy Majumder, BBC News, March 24, 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4841334.stm
Increasing international pressure over the case of Christian convert Abdul
Rahman is forcing the Afghan government to play a careful balancing act between
its Western allies and religious conservatives at home.
Under the interpretation of Islamic Sharia law on which Afghanistan's
constitution is based, Mr Rahman faces the death penalty unless he reconverts
to Islam.
"The Prophet Muhammad has said several times that those who convert from Islam
should be killed if they refuse to come back," says Ansarullah Mawlafizada, the
trial judge.
"Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance, kindness and integrity. That is why
we have told him if he regrets what he did, then we will forgive him," he told
the BBC News website.
'Deserves it'
The judge's comments are one indication of why President Hamid Karzai, who
already has a reputation for being pro-Western, faces some difficult choices.
The president has yet to comment publicly on the trial but statements put out
by his office point out that, while the government respects human rights and
personal freedom, the country has an independent judicial system.
In practice, it is even more complicated. The Afghan judiciary is dominated by
religious conservatives, many with strong religious ties or backgrounds. Many
feel it will be difficult for the president and the government to confront the
judiciary.
But the bigger problem confronting the president is that an overwhelming
number of ordinary Afghans appear to believe Mr Rahman has erred and deserves
to be executed.
At Friday prayers in mosques across the Afghan capital, the case of Abdul
Rahman and the consequent international outcry is the hot topic of discussion
and the centrepiece of sermons.
"We will not let anyone interfere with our religious practices," declared
cleric Inayatullah at Kabul's Pulakasthy mosque, one of the city's largest.
"What Rahman has done is wrong and he must be punished."
Public mood
The issue has not reached the stage of street protests, as was the case
recently during demonstrations against the publication in the West of cartoons
satirising the Prophet Muhammad.
But there is little doubt that feelings run deep and can easily be inflamed.
"What is wrong with Islam that he should want to convert?" asks an agitated
Abdul Zahid Payman.
"The courts should punish him and he should be put to death." Few were
willing to listen to the growing condemnation in the West.
"According to Islamic law he should be sentenced to death because God has
clearly stated that Christianity is forbidden in our land," says Mohammed
Qadir, another worshipper.
US President George Bush says he is "deeply troubled" by the case.
That cuts no ice with Mr Qadir.
"Who is America to tell us what to do? If Karzai listens to them there will be
jihad (holy war)."
Western backers of the Afghan government are pressing to create a country that
is a moderate and progressive democracy, able to turn its back on its Taleban
past.
But analysts say they often forget that Afghanistan is a deeply conservative
country rooted in tribal traditions.
"This is a Muslim country. The state is Muslim, people are Muslim
99%," says Judge Ansarullah.
"This is a very sensitive issue."
Afghanistan's constitution, written in 2004, enshrines the country as an
Islamic state under which no law can contravene Islam. But it also
protects personal freedom and respects international human rights conventions.
"It is a deliberately ambiguous document which tries to paper over the cracks
and contradictions of Afghanistan," says one Afghan law professor privately.
"But now the contradictions have risen to the surface."
---------------------------------
Blab-away for as little as 1ยข/min. Make PC-to-Phone Calls using Yahoo!
Messenger with Voice.
--
This is ZESTGlobal. Post articles on international affairs to
[email protected]
If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTGlobal by sending a blank
mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/join/
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
