Posted on 03/22/2006 9:40:41 PM PST by Mr. Silverback
Since October 2001, approximately three hundred Americans have been killed and another eight hundred have been wounded in Afghanistan. The overthrow of the Taliban was about more than denying a base of operations to al Qaeda—it was also about liberating the people of Afghanistan from a brutal theocracy.
All of this makes recent news from Kabul all the more ironic—and outrageous.
Abdul Rahman is on trial for his life in a Kabul court. His crime? Converting to Christianity.
According to reports, Rahman converted to Christianity sixteen years ago while working for a Christian group that helped Afghan refugees in Peshawar, Pakistan. When he returned to Afghanistan in 2002, he tried to regain custody of his daughters from his parents. They referred the matter to the police, and his conversion came to the attention of Afghani authorities.
While the Taliban no longer rules the country, conversion from Islam to another religion, called apostasy, is still punishable by death. The prosecutor offered to drop the charges if Rahman converted back to Islam, but Rahman refused. According to the prosecutor, Rahman “said he was a Christian and would always remain one.”
That fidelity could cost Rahman his life if the judge decides that his “attack on Islam” meets the requirements of apostasy.
The irony is inescapable: This is the country that we rid of the Taliban because of its religious oppression. This is the country in which we have spent at least $70 billion to establish a free democratic government. This is the country whose freedom cost us three hundred American lives and eight hundred casualties. And this is the country that is preparing to execute a man for becoming a Christian after he witnessed other Christians caring for his countrymen.
Is this the fruit of democracy? Is this why we have shed American blood and invested American treasure to set a people free? What have we accomplished for overthrowing the Taliban? This is the kind of thing we would expect from the Taliban, not from President Karzai and his freely elected democratic government.
I have supported the Bush administration’s foreign policy because I came to believe that the best way to stop Islamo-fascism was by promoting democracy. But if we can’t guarantee fundamental religious freedoms in the countries where we establish democratic reforms, then the whole credibility of our foreign policy is thrown into serious question. I hope the president and the administration can recognize what a devastating setback Rahman’s execution would be to the cause of democracy and freedom.
But just in case they don’t, we had better tell them. While Abdul Rahman is prepared to be a martyr, it is our solemn obligation before God to protest as loudly and strenuously as we can. You need to both call and e-mail your elected representatives and the White House. You need to tell them that Abdul Rahman’s execution must not take place. You need to let them know that “democracy” worth the name must include protection of the most basic human right: freedom of conscience and belief.
Otherwise, places like Afghanistan, whoever is in charge, are nothing more than brutal theocracies and will always remain so.
Take action:
Contact your representative and senators (Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121) and President Bush (e-mail president@whitehouse.gov or call 202-456-1111), and urge them to take action to prevent the execution of Afghan Christian Abdul Rahman.
Contact the Afghan Embassy in Washington:
2341 Wyoming Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20008 (202) 483-6410
Dead on!
Dustbunny, praying (as you are) and sending a loud shout to those in office is what we can do. What we can't do we put in God's hands.
President Bush said - and promised - we would create a free nation in Afghanistan and since American troops are still responsible for Afghanistan's well being I damn well will hold the president's feet to the fire on this and make him keep his word.
You know, Ronald Reagan took a lot of sh!t from the right for not doing enough fast enough regaring eastern Europe and Central America (George Will: "Reagan likes commerce more than he hates communism" in response to perceived inaction on Poland), let alone Russian and China. Don't say he didn't, I was around then campaigning and defending him from the left and right in two elections. Turned out the dude didn't do too badly.
Now, if ya wanna talk borders and spending, I'm probably more willing to turn up the heat along with ya.
Hey folks, guess what happened to Proctor?
This account has been banned or suspended.
Gentlemen, that is a confirmed kill.
Kanawa, just so you know, the reason I called in a zot on the punk was because he showed up in a Colson thread and started insulting people and acting like a nut...and then there was the thing where he characterized President Bush as "The Dear Leader," the same term of endearment the North Koreans reserve for Kim Jong Il. I've known anti-Bush conservatives for over six years and never heard one of them compare Dubya to a psychotic terrorist dictator who's currently starving millions of people to death...but I've seen trolls do it. He was a low timer, too. So, he wasn't in my sights becaue he criticized the President (I'd be asking for people to be banned right and left!), he was in my sights because he walked like a troll, quacked like a troll and stank like a troll. Read the exchange in this thread if you doubt me.
Now I'm going to go find my crew chief and a bucket of red paint so he can paint another little red star under my canopy rail. Nothing like a smooth kill to top off a nice weekend.
RIP. :-)
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