I had a cold chill and a shiver vibrate down my spine reading this article.
But, I just don't know WHY ? There are certain words I have taken the liberty to highlight below, each of them caused a {{{{{{shiver}}}}}}.
Somebody help me out...what is that gives me this 'deja vu' feeling ?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060322/wl_nm/religion_afghan_dc Back to Story - Help 
Afghanistan says court to decide fate of convert
By Sayed Salahuddin 1 hour, 52 minutes ago
Under mounting international pressure over the case of a man facing the death penalty for converting to Christianity, Afghanistan said on Wednesday that its judiciary alone would decide the case.
An Afghan judge said this week a man named Abdur Rahman had been jailed for converting from Islam to Christianity and could face the death penalty if he refused to become a Muslim again.
Sharia, or Islamic law, stipulates death for apostasy. The Afghan legal system is based on a mix of civil and sharia law.
"We in Afghanistan have the prosecutor who observes the law and the court that executes it. Whatever the court orders will be executed as the court is independent," said Mahaiuddin Baluch, a religious affairs adviser to President Hamid Karzai.
The case has raised alarm overseas and the United States and three other NATO allies with troops in Afghanistan on Tuesday urged respect for religious freedom. German Chancellor Angela Merkel added her voice to those of Western leaders expressing concern.
In response, Afghan Economy Minister Amin Farhang criticized the "heated and emotional reactions of German politicians" and said proposals there to withdraw German troops in protest amounted to blackmail against Karzai's government.
"We don't interfere in Germany's internal affairs or in running court cases," he told the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung.
The case is sensitive for Karzai, who depends on foreign troops to battle Taliban and al Qaeda militants and foreign aid to support the economy. But he also has to consider the views of conservative proponents of Islamic law.
Asked about the international outcry, Baluch said: "Everybody has the right to express their view."
Rahman, 40, has not been formally charged yet.
He told a judge at a preliminary hearing last week he became a Christian while working for an aid group helping Afghan refugees in Pakistan 15 years ago.
"I'm not an apostate. I'm obedient to God but I'm a Christian, that's my choice," Rahman told the hearing.
Washington, which counts Karzai as a key ally in the region, raised the case with the then visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah on Tuesday, calling on Kabul to uphold Afghan citizens' constitutional right to choose their faith.
Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini has said Rahman would probably not be executed.
Fini, whose country was one of four with troops in Afghanistan to speak out about the case, told Italian television on Tuesday he had indications the Islamic punishment for apostasy would not be imposed on Abdul Rahman.
"From what I've been told, and I have no reason to doubt it, the death sentence will not be carried out," said Fini. He gave no other details.
A former Italian president urged Rome to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan unless pledges were given on Rahman's safety.
CONCERN EXPRESSED
The top U.N. envoy in Afghanistan, Tom Koenigs, said in a statement he was following the case with grave concern.
"It is my wish that Mr Rahman's legal and human rights will be upheld and that this matter does not create a rift between Afghanistan and its international partners," Koenigs said.
Freedom of religion, including the freedom to change one's religion, was enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Afghanistan had adhered to, he said.
Some officials have raised questions about Rahman's mental state, and Minister of Economy Mohammad Amin Farhang said Rahman would not be executed if he were found to be unstable.
Germany and Canada, both of which also have troops in Afghanistan, have also raised their concern.
A political analyst in Kabul said the case might hinge on differing interpretations of the constitution.
Afghanistan is a conservative Islamic country and 99 per cent of its more than 25 million people are Muslim. A court sentenced two Afghan journalists to death for blasphemy three years ago but they escaped and sought asylum abroad.
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Copyright 2006 © Yahoo! Inc. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Send Feedback | Help Can anyone imagine a religion so Wait ! It's all coming back to me ! Somebody help me out on this quote...a magazine called the Watchtower once said something like, "Unfortunately, we Christians are limited by secular laws today..." they were talking about "the good old days" when apostates, blasphemers and other 'ne'er do wells' could be "stoned to death for their "sins". They were such happy days. There's only so much the WTS can do to folks now...like isolation thru shunning and causing deaths thru the adherence to idiotic blood doctrines and the inevitable suicides from the pressures put upon their believers. But, dammit, Christian rock thrower at the local Kingdom Hall would have been much more graphic and "to the point" in keeping people 'in line' and obedient. And loads more fun, too. Somebody find that quote for me. Rabbit |