Fears over Afghan convert trial

[A.Rahman]

Fears over Afghan convert trial

The US and three Nato allies have expressed concern over reports that a Muslim convert to Christianity could face the death penalty in Afghanistan.


Abdul Rahman is charged with rejecting Islam and could be executed under Sharia law unless he reconverts.

The US made a subdued appeal for him to be allowed to practise his faith - but stressed it did not want to interfere.

Germany, Italy and Canada, which all have troops in Afghanistan, also voiced concern over Mr Rahman's plight.

Mr Rahman, 41, converted 16 years ago as an aid worker helping refugees in Pakistan. His estranged family denounced him in a custody dispute over his two children.


His is thought to be Afghanistan's first such trial, reflecting tensions between conservative clerics and reformists.

Conservatives still dominate the Afghan judiciary, four years after the Taleban were overthrown, and Afghanistan's post-Taleban constitution is based on Sharia law.

'Hollow praise'

Speaking alongside Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah at a press conference in Washington, US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns urged Afghanistan to respect Mr Rahman's religious rights. However, he did not ask for his immediate release and said he respected Afghan sovereignty.

Our government is a great supporter of freedom of religion," Mr Burns said.

"As the Afghan constitution affords freedom of religion to all Afghan citizens, we hope very much that those rights, the right of freedom of religion, will be upheld in an Afghan court."

Mr Abdullah in turn said he hoped "through our constitutional process there will be a satisfactory result".

He said the Afghan embassy in Washington had received hundreds of messages of concern about the case from US citizens.

The BBC's Jonathan Beale in Washington says the case has the potential to embarrass the US, which has invested huge efforts and resources in trying to help Afghanistan embrace democracy and freedom.

US President George Bush only recently visited Kabul, praising the country's emergence from years of oppression under the Taleban.
That message will ring hollow if individuals still face the threat of persecution for their beliefs, our correspondent says.
The Italian foreign ministry has said that Mr Rahman's arrest is incompatible with the defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

'Alarming signal'


Officials in Berlin have also raised his plight, while German Cardinal Karl Lehmann said the case sent an "alarming signal" about freedom of worship.
Canada has called on Afghanistan to meet its human rights obligations. Observers say executing a converted Christian would be a significant precedent as a conservative interpretation of Sharia law in Afghanistan

source: BBC

 

[A.Rahman]

Statement from scholar/mufti :

Everyone who leaves Islam is automatically killed is a false notion, I can assure you that this was certainly not the case in many cases. Even though the penalty for treason was the death penalty (as was the case in the Law of Moses as well), there was no targeting of people who simply chose to leave Islam without any implication of treason. To simply kill anyone who chooses to follow a religion other than Islam is against the fundamental teachings of the Qur’an. Freedom of conscience is a fundamental principle of Qur’anic that is clearly stated in no unambiguous terms. I list just a few:

[Had your Lord willed, all the people on earth would have believed. So can you (Prophet) compel people to believe?] (Yunus 10: 99).

[Say, ‘Now the truth has come from your Lord: Let those who wish to believe in it do so, and let those who wish to reject it do so’] (Al-Kahf 17: 29).

[So (people) respond to your Lord before there comes a Day that cannot, against God’s will, be averted—you will have no refuge on that Day, and no possibility of denying (your sins). If they still turn away (remember that) We have not sent you (Prophet) to be their keeper: your duty is to deliver the message] (Ash-Shura 42: 47-48).

[There is no compulsion in religion: true guidance has become distinct from error, so whoever rejects false gods and believes in Allah has grasped the firmest hand-hold, one that will never break. Allah is all hearing and all knowing] (Al-Baqrah 2: 256).

 

[A.Rahman]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful​

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE​

CAIR CALLS FOR RELEASE OF AFGHAN CHRISTIAN
Islamic civil rights group says conversion a personal, not state matter​

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/22/2006) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on the government of Afghanistan to release Abdul Rahman, a man facing the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says the man's conversion is a personal matter not subject to the intervention of the state. SEE: Afghan Christian Could Face Death

In its statement, CAIR said:

"Islamic scholars say the original rulings on apostasy were similar to those for treasonous acts in legal systems worldwide and do not apply to an individual's choice of religion. Islam advocates both freedom of religion and freedom of conscience, a position supported by verses in the Quran, Islam's revealed text, such as:

1) 'If it had been the will of your Lord that all the people of the world should be believers, all the people of the earth would have believed! Would you then compel mankind against their will to believe?' (10:99)

2) '(O Prophet) proclaim: 'This is the Truth from your Lord. Now let him who will, believe in it, and him who will, deny it.'' (18:29)

3) 'If they turn away from thee (O Muhammad) they should know that We have not sent you to be their keeper. Your only duty is to convey My message.' (42:48)

4) 'Let there be no compulsion in religion.' (2:256)

"Religious decisions should be matters of personal choice, not a cause for state intervention. Faith imposed by force is not true belief, but coercion. Islam has no need to compel belief in its divine truth. As the Quran states: 'Truth stands out clear from error. Therefore, whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks.' (2:256)

"We urge the government of Afghanistan to order the immediate release of Mr. Abdul Rahman."

Before issuing its statement, CAIR consulted with members of the Fiqh Council of North America, an association of Islamic legal scholars that interprets Muslim religious law.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

 

[A.Rahman]

Here is my stand on this issue.

In Webster Dictionary:

Apostasy has two meanings:

1. Renunciation of a religious faith.

2. Abandonment of a previous loyalty: Defection

Keeping in view the case of Afghan man who converted to Christianity from Islam, using the first meaning of the word "apostasy" is obvious.

The second meaning, however, would be entirely different issue. Which country in the world will not punish you if you cheat the army after joining it by fighting against it? What is the punishment of "traitor"? However, it is the first meaning in the present context in Afghanistan at hand, that is "renunciation of religious faith".

Afghanistan is not a free country. Maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the occupation forces, who must not turn a blind eye to this kind of injustice. To allow this man to be tried and possibly executed , and then blame Islam and Muslims worldwide, is totally unacceptable.

The Qur'an states without qualification or exceptions, that "there is no compulsion in religion" and is the only holy book of any mainstream faith to say so in such explicit terms.

This prosecution is a political issue, possibly a personal vengeance issue as well, arising out of a family dispute. It is not about religion.

It says more about the lack of social development in Afghanistan today.

 

[glyn]

A.Rahman


"Afghanistan is not a free country. Maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the occupation forces, who must not turn a blind eye to this kind of injustice. To allow this man to be tried and possibly executed , and then blame Islam and Muslims worldwide, is totally unacceptable. "

I can't believe that you are seriously saying this! There are barely enough 'occupation forces' (sic) to defend themselves, much less try to drag one of the worlds most backward and primitive peoples into the 21st Century. Of course it's an entirely religious matter, and it's simply 'doublespeak' to claim otherwise.