There might be a bit of a way out of the Rahman case for Afghanistan:
On Wednesday a state prosecutor said Rahman may be mentally unfit to stand trial, The Associated Press reports.
"We think he could be mad. He is not a normal person. He doesn't talk like a normal person," The AP quoted prosecutor Sarinwal Zamari as saying.
Moayuddin Baluch, a religious adviser to President Hamid Karzai, said Rahman would undergo a psychological examination, according to the AP.
"Doctors must examine him," the AP quoted Baluch as saying. "If he is mentally unfit, definitely Islam has no claim to punish him. He must be forgiven. The case must be dropped."
I'm pretty certain that most people in authority in Afghanistan want to see the Rahman case go away - a few die-hard Islamists semi-reformed from the Taliban days might like to carry this trial forward, but my bet is that most Afghanis have larger issues to worry about...and, at any rate, while they are just getting back on their feet, they don't nee a cultural clash with those who are currently helping them out.
My prayer is that Rahman will remain strong in his ordeal and that the authorities in Afghanistan will show wisdom and mercy....and, of course, that the Afghans will come to understand that no religion can sustain itself on violence. If Islam is in any way true, then it will stand just fine all by itself.
Posted by Mark Noonan at March 23, 2006 07:51 AM
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Comments
Some considered thoughts about clear communication with 12th Century Afghanistan.
Mr. Abdul Rahman is our "Mohammad Cartoons" and right now Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Malaysia (and the rest) need to speak out against this injustice as well as hear our hear our voices - Christians are not to be killed, period!!! And although the world over, there are many Christian being tortured and killed by Muslims (i.e. the 13 y/o Christian girls that were beheaded by Muslims in Indonesia last year) that ALL of our focus needs to be on this case to make sure that Mr. Rahman is pardoned properly.
The American People need to raise their voices so that our Government, Congress and President Bush will send a massively powerful signal to Afghanistan to pardon Mr. Rahman.
If Afghanistan has gotten itself into this mess, it is because there are remnants of the Taliban still in controlling positions. Not acceptable.
Last but not least, it is definitely not acceptable for Afghanistan to find Mr. Rahman to be "mad", for that is (in their speak) to imply that ALL Christians/non-Muslims are "mad". Unaceptable. This must not be an acceptable escape for President Karzai. Although, this is a great litmus test for President Karzai: will he reform Afghanistan or will he seek to safeguard his position by catering to Sharia Law?
RPaine
Posted by: RPaine at March 23, 2006 10:57 AM
Karzai is more the mayor of Kabul than an actual head-of-state. It will interesting to see if he has the authority to intervene in this case.
Posted by: Salvelinus at March 23, 2006 12:27 PM
Salve,
That "mayor of Kabul" stuff was from more than three years ago...the Afghan army is quite well up and running and all of the provinces of Afghanistan have to toe the Kabul line...
Posted by: Mark Noonan at March 23, 2006 01:41 PM
RPaine,
I understand your outrage - I share it, too; but we must tread carefully here. What we want is that Rahman not suffer martyrdom if that can be avoided...mostly because of the way it will poison relations between Christianity and Islam.
I'd prefer that Karzai just pardon the man and essentially make prosecution for apostasy impossible - but he has his own domestic political considerations.
Posted by: Mark Noonan at March 23, 2006 01:48 PM
Mark,
When the guy can leave his fortress, I mean palace, without a small army of ex-special ops mercenaries surrounding him, I might believe he is really in charge.
By the way, if he is in charge, shouldn't he be getting the "Noriega" treatment for letting all those warlords grow "his" country's ever-increasing poppy crop?
Posted by: Salvelinus at March 23, 2006 02:47 PM
Salve,
Tell ya what - I'll put up a post about Afghanistan and you can decide if Karzai is still just Mayor of Kabul.
Posted by: Mark Noonan at March 23, 2006 06:15 PM
Your argument is moot, Mark.
Senior religious officials in Afghanistan have announced that they will instigate riots and kill Rahman themselves if the authorities do not execute him.
Posted by: The Small Town hick at March 23, 2006 09:13 PM
This is the heart of the War on Terror/Islam.
President Bush must insist that Abdul Rahman be freed. Not only that, the President needs to insist that no one be persecuted for giving up Islam in the future. This issue is non-negotiable. American troops didn't fight and die so that an Islamic republic can carry out this barbaric act while we protect them. Islam must change. This should be the first change.
Posted by: Freedom1 at March 24, 2006 02:05 AM
Hick,
Not necessarily - beacuse some yahoos are making threatening noises, it doesn't mean that the Afghan authorities will allow them to run riot...
Posted by: Mark Noonan at March 24, 2006 02:56 AM
Post a comment
Some considered thoughts about clear communication with 12th Century Afghanistan.
Mr. Abdul Rahman is our "Mohammad Cartoons" and right now Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Malaysia (and the rest) need to speak out against this injustice as well as hear our hear our voices - Christians are not to be killed, period!!! And although the world over, there are many Christian being tortured and killed by Muslims (i.e. the 13 y/o Christian girls that were beheaded by Muslims in Indonesia last year) that ALL of our focus needs to be on this case to make sure that Mr. Rahman is pardoned properly.
The American People need to raise their voices so that our Government, Congress and President Bush will send a massively powerful signal to Afghanistan to pardon Mr. Rahman.
If Afghanistan has gotten itself into this mess, it is because there are remnants of the Taliban still in controlling positions. Not acceptable.
Last but not least, it is definitely not acceptable for Afghanistan to find Mr. Rahman to be "mad", for that is (in their speak) to imply that ALL Christians/non-Muslims are "mad". Unaceptable. This must not be an acceptable escape for President Karzai. Although, this is a great litmus test for President Karzai: will he reform Afghanistan or will he seek to safeguard his position by catering to Sharia Law?
RPaine
Karzai is more the mayor of Kabul than an actual head-of-state. It will interesting to see if he has the authority to intervene in this case.
Salve,
That "mayor of Kabul" stuff was from more than three years ago...the Afghan army is quite well up and running and all of the provinces of Afghanistan have to toe the Kabul line...
RPaine,
I understand your outrage - I share it, too; but we must tread carefully here. What we want is that Rahman not suffer martyrdom if that can be avoided...mostly because of the way it will poison relations between Christianity and Islam.
I'd prefer that Karzai just pardon the man and essentially make prosecution for apostasy impossible - but he has his own domestic political considerations.
Mark,
When the guy can leave his fortress, I mean palace, without a small army of ex-special ops mercenaries surrounding him, I might believe he is really in charge.
By the way, if he is in charge, shouldn't he be getting the "Noriega" treatment for letting all those warlords grow "his" country's ever-increasing poppy crop?
Salve,
Tell ya what - I'll put up a post about Afghanistan and you can decide if Karzai is still just Mayor of Kabul.
Your argument is moot, Mark.
Senior religious officials in Afghanistan have announced that they will instigate riots and kill Rahman themselves if the authorities do not execute him.
This is the heart of the War on Terror/Islam.
President Bush must insist that Abdul Rahman be freed. Not only that, the President needs to insist that no one be persecuted for giving up Islam in the future. This issue is non-negotiable. American troops didn't fight and die so that an Islamic republic can carry out this barbaric act while we protect them. Islam must change. This should be the first change.
Hick,
Not necessarily - beacuse some yahoos are making threatening noises, it doesn't mean that the Afghan authorities will allow them to run riot...