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March 26, 2006
Abdul Rahman Freed?
Topics: Abdul RahmanWell, sort of! He's apparently been released from jail by authorities, citing insufficient evidence, insinuations about his mental state and even questions over his citizenship, but the legal basis for his charges, converting from Islam to Christianity, hasn't changed.
From Time.com:
The dismissal of a case against an Afghan citizen for converting from Islam to Christianity has saved Afghanistan's government a damaging showdown with its primary patron, the United States. Under mounting pressure from Washington and other Western backers, President Hamid Karzai is reported to have intervened personally to have the case of Abdul Rahman, 41, who converted to Christianity 16 years ago, dismissed. But the grounds on which the case was thrown out -- insufficient evidence and other technicalities, as well as questions over the sanity of the accused -- do not change the basic problem that had put both Karzai and his Western backers in a tight spot.However, looking a little deeper into the well of reality, Greg at Rhymes With Right spells out the real story - this is no victory for human rights or religious freedom, and the case of Mr. Rahman may be far from settled:
...ignoring all the biased, loaded language in this report, what it comes down to is this -- Rahman is to be freed based not upon a human rights violation, not upon the principle that every person has the right to choose his or her own religion free of state ceoercion, but based upon technical questions about the evidence and insinuations about his sanity. This is therefore NOT a victory for human rights or religious freedom -- it is a strategic retreat on the part of the Afghan government.Read more...Even the ruling in this case makes it clear that Rahman could be back in prison the day after tomorrow.
Posted by Richard at March 26, 2006 5:50 PM
Articles Related to Abdul Rahman:
- General Petraeus' Real Problem Isn't Iraq - Feb 09, 2007
- Can Islam and democracy coexist in Afghanistan? - Apr 03, 2006
- Abdul Rahman Update - Mar 31, 2006
- Abdul Rahman Has Arrived in Italy - Mar 29, 2006
- From Abdul Rahman To - Where? - Mar 27, 2006
- Stein: 'Facing down a culture where they talk like crazies' - Mar 26, 2006
- World Turns Up Pressure To Save Abdul Rahman - While Afghan Muslim Clerics Insist On Execution (Updated) - Mar 24, 2006
- Bush Finally Comments On Abdul Rahman - But Clerics Still Want Him Dead (Updated) - Mar 23, 2006
- Saving The Life Of Abdul Rahman (Updated) - Mar 22, 2006
