Liberty's Blog

Abdul Rahman to be Sprung

Michelle Malkin has done an incredible job of following the story and events surrounding this guy. It looks like he is going to be let loose.

In a world where martyrdom is earned by blowing oneself up and taking as many as you can with you, all so that one can have 72 virgins, Abdul is a refreshing change.

Rahman, meanwhile, said he was fully aware of his choice and was ready to die for it, according to an interview published Sunday in an Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

"I am serene. I have full awareness of what I have chosen. If I must die, I will die," Abdul Rahman told the Rome daily, responding to questions sent to him via a human rights worker who visited him in prison.

"Somebody, a long time ago, did it for all of us," he added in a clear reference to Jesus.

Rahman also told the Italian newspaper that his family - including his ex-wife and teenage daughters - reported him to the authorities three weeks ago.

He said he made his choice to become a Christian "in small steps," after he left Afghanistan 16 years ago. He moved to Pakistan, then Germany. He tried to get a visa in Belgium.

"In Peshawar I worked for a humanitarian organization. They were Catholics," Rahman said. "I started talking to them about religion, I read the Bible, it opened my heart and my mind."

Abdul is not an unwitting victim. The Afghans have tried to find a way to back out of this while apeasing the Moslem fundimentalist. Abdul is not going to back down and and deny his convictions. VOA reports:

He says he still believes in the almighty Allah, but cannot say for sure who God really is. "I am," he says, "a Christian and I believe in Jesus Christ."

Rahman reportedly converted more than 16 years ago after spending time working in Germany.

Officials say his family, who remain observant Muslims, turned him over to the authorities.

On Thursday the prosecution told the court Rahman has rejected numerous offers to embrace Islam.

A powerful stand. All this has put Afghan President Karzai and the U.S State Department in an awkward situation. So a solution has been found. Pronounce that a lack of evidence exist and set him free.

An Afghan court on Sunday dismissed a case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity because of a lack of evidence and he will be released soon, officials said.

The announcement came as U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai faced mounting foreign pressure to free Abdul Rahman, a move that risked angering Muslim clerics here who have called for him to be killed.

An official closely involved with the case told The Associated Press that it had been returned to the prosecutors for more investigation, but that in the meantime, Rahman would be released.

"The court dismissed today the case against Abdul Rahman for a lack of information and a lot of legal gaps in the case," the official said Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

All of which is silly, because Rahmans own words were enough evidence. Although it looks like the family members that turned him in were all women.

This is a man of conviction who has had the courage to stand up for what he believes in. For now his life has been spared. It still is too early to tell what this adventure has gained. His life is still in danger if he stays in Afghanistan. I think though the implications here will be far reaching. Moslems everywhere need to take a public stand on whether the persecution of a man for his beliefs is to be tolorated. I believe this might be a crack leading to weakening of Shariah law in Afghanastan. Western tolorance for Islam is taking a lot of hits lately. The intolorance of Moslems of freedom of press and respect for freedom of worship. Has driven a wedge between them and the west. Maybe some are starting to see that enough is enough, and if they wan't any respect for their ways, they have to become more tolorant.

posted by Liberty @ 8:32 AM