An Afghan court may sentence Abdul Rahman to death for converting from Islam to Christianity.

Abdul Rahman Afghan Christian

Afghanistan’s constitution is based on Shariah law, which requires that any Muslim who converts to another religion must be sentenced to death. Afghanistan’s President, Hamid Karzai once again finds himself between a rock an a hard place on this one. 99% of his people are Muslim and listen to the clerics who are calling for this guy’s death and yet many western countries are putting pressure on him to show leniency to Mr. Rahman.

Cleric Abdul Raoulf, a supposed “moderate” because he opposed the Taliban regime, insists that Rahman has insulted Islam and vowed to have him killed in the streets if the court doesn’t order his execution. Other clerics are warning of an uprising against the government and its Western backers if he’s not put to death.

Although prosecutors offered him a chance to recant to save his own life, he has refused. “They want to sentence me to death and I accept it, but I am not a deserter and not an infidel. I am a Christian, which means I believe in the Trinity.” That reminds me a bit of my hero Daniel, standing before king Darius.

Prosecutor Sarinwal Zamari says, “We think he could be mad, he does not talk like a normal person.” Which of course sounds sort of like the Romans who thought the early Christians were crazy because they didn’t party like everyone else.