Thanks Angel I forwarded this to my other list. 

--
Can you imagine what a scarcity of news there would be If everybody obeyed 
> the Ten Commandments? 

I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't, and die to find out there is 

IN GOD WE TRUST 
Karen Carter '74 
-KC- Ministries 


-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Angel <[log in to unmask]> 

> > > 
> > > Man faces death penalty for becoming a Christian. illusration of how 
> > > tolerant Islam is. 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Judge Says He Could Escape Punishment If He's Ruled Insane 
> > > 
> > > By GRETCHEN PETERS and LARA SETRAKIAN, with reporting by BILAL SARWARY 
> > > 
> > > KABUL, Afghanistan, March 20, 2006 - Despite the overthrow of the 
> > > fundamentalist Taliban government and the presence of 22,500 U.S. 
> > > troops in Afghanistan, a man who converted to Christianity is being 
> > > prosecuted in Kabul, and a judge said Sunday that if convicted, he 
> > > faces the death penalty. 
> > > 
> > > Abdul Rahman, who is in his 40s, says he converted to Christianity 16 
> > > years ago while working as an aid worker helping Afghan refugees in 
> > > Pakistan. 
> > > 
> > > Relatives denounced him as a convert during a custody battle over his 
> > > children, and he was arrested last month. The prosecutor says Rahman 
> > > was found with a Bible. 
> > > 
> > > Human rights workers have described the case as an unsettling reminder 
> > > that the country's post-Taliban judiciary remains deeply conservative, 
> > > and they have called on President Hamid Karzai to intervene. During 
> > > Taliban times, men were forced to kneel in prayer five times a day, 
> > > and couples faced the death penalty for sex outside marriage, for 
> > > example. Reform efforts have been slow, say experts, since there are 
> > > so few judges and lawyers with experience. 
> > > 
> > > The U.S. State Department is watching the case closely and considers 
> > > it a barometer of how well democracy is developing in Afghanistan. 
> > > 
> > > "Our view . is that tolerance, freedom of worship is an important 
> > > element of any democracy," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack 
> > > said. "And these are issues as Afghan democracy matures that they are 
> > > going to have to deal with increasingly." 
> > > 
> > > A number of Christian nonprofit groups do humanitarian work in 
> > > Afghanistan. Dominic Nutt of Christian Aid calls the Rahman case a 
> > > step backward for the country, especially if Rahman is executed. 
> > > 
> > > Nutt, who has spent time in Afghanistan, tells ABC News "few 
> > > practitioners are used to the concept of democracy and toleration . 
> > > [many] are educated only in Islamic law." 
> > > 
> > > Presiding judge Ansarullah Mawlazezadah tells ABC News a medical team 
> > > was checking the defendant, since the team suspects insanity caused 
> > > Rahman to reject Islam. 
> > > 
> > > "We want to know that the doctors have given him a green light on his 
> > > mental state, because he is not normal when he talks," says the judge. 
> > > 
> > > The post-Taliban constitution recognizes Islam as Afghanistan's 
> > > religion, and decrees that Islam's Sharia law applies when a case is 
> > > not covered by specific legislation. The prosecutor says under Sharia 
> > > law, Abdul Rahman must die. 
> > > 
> > > The judge, however, holds hopes for a solution. 
> > > 
> > > "We will ask him if he has changed his mind about being a Christian," 
> > > Mawlazezadah says. "If he has, we will forgive him, because Islam is a 
> > > religion of tolerance." 
> > > 
> > > The case has caused outcry among Afghan human rights groups, and 
> > > reformists like Karzai have sought a more liberal, secular legal system. 
> > > 
> > > "Afghan law protects freedom of religion," says Naader Naderey of the 
> > > Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. "We want to see the reform 
> > > of the judiciary. We want to see judges with wider legal experience." 
> > > 
> > > Rahman's case contradicts Article 7 of Afghanistan's constitution, 
> > > which assures that "the state shall abide by . the Universal 
> > > Declaration of Human Rights." That declaration states that "everyone 
> > > has the right to freedom of thought . to change his religion or belief." 
> > > 
> > > However, the constitution also states that Islamic law takes 
> > > precedence over secular law and international treaties. Furthermore, 
> > > the supreme court of that country has the right to veto certain 
> > > provisions and interpret compliance with such treaties. 
> > > 
> > > "I think that right now there's in Afghanistan some differing 
> > > interpretations of the Afghan constitution," McCormack said. "These 
> > > issues rightfully should get resolved through the court system. But 
> > > they need to be resolved in a transparent way and according to the 
> > > rule of law. It is a case that we are going to be following quite 
> > > closely, though." 
> > > 
> > > One expert in Islamic law explains that Afghanistan's penal code 
> > > divides into two parts: the religious "huduud" dictated by the Koran 
> > > and secular "ta'zir," which is regulated by the state. Conversion to 
> > > another religion is a crime under religious law, which takes 
> > > precedence over the secular and more tolerant policy. 
> > > 
> > > Muslim converts to Christianity have been prosecuted in other 
> > > countries ruled by Islamic law. Since 1996, high-profile apostasy 
> > > cases have put Christian converts on the stand in countries that 
> > > include Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the Sudan. 
> > > 
> > > The legal scholar, who asks to remain anonymous given the sensitivity 
> > > of the topic, says, "It's a fundamental tenet under Islam that 
> > > conversion to another religion is a heinous act. It has a touch of 
> > > treason . there's an aspect to it of betrayal against the communal 
> > > identity." 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/LegalCenter/story?id=1746943&page=1 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
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