"Hello, Hamid? It's Hillary...Yes, yes, peace be upon those who are rightly guided indeed...Fine, thanks, and you?...A double eagle on a par-5 hole! Wow, that's terrific...Yes...Look, Hamid, about this Said Musa character, or Musa Sayed, or whatever. You know who I mean? Yes, that's right, the accursed murtadd dog. Look, Hamid, I know how you feel, and you know how much I respect Islam, but you guys are making it harder for me to keep on saying how peaceful and tolerant Islam is. Can you cut me some slack here, please?...
"Oh, no, I'm certainly not saying you should stop the trial...Release him? Oh, no, I'm not saying that...You guys are a sovereign government...A sovereign country...But...you're really making us come out of this building a new Afghanistan thing with egg on our face, Hamid...After all, we've been fighting for freedom for all Afghans, right? And that includes freedom of religion and freedom of conscience, right? I mean, Hamid, doesn't your own Constitution say -- How does it go? 'Followers of other religions are free to exercise their faith and perform their religious rites within the limits of the provisions of law'? And what are those limits, Hamid? 'In Afghanistan, no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam.'...Oh, I see...I see...And Islam actually forbids conversion to another religion?...And someone who leaves Islam must be killed? Muhammad commanded it? Wow, Hamid, I had no idea....I mean, John Esposito told me -- what? Esposito's a what?
"But Hamid, can't you release this Musa Sayed or Said Musa character just as a favor to us?...What's that? People actually believe in laws like this? You'll have open revolt?...Well, yes, we did sign off on your Constitution, it's true. But we didn't realize that anybody actually took seriously -- well, of course Hamid. I see the tough position you're in...No, I don't think you should be made out to be an American stooge...No, of course we don't want to see your government fall...No, of course I don't want you to join the Taliban...No no no, of course I respect Islam...No, I'm not an Islamophobe...Look, calm down. It's all right, Hamid...Calm down...Now I know when you say that word, you mean an interior spiritual struggle...Just calm down, please...It's all right...We won't cut off any aid...No, not even if Said Musa or Musa Sayed or whatever is executed...Of course we know we've come this far with you, we can't abandon you now...Yes, certainly, Hamid...We'll go to Bullfeather's next time you're in Washington...All right, Hamid...You have a lovely evening too...Thank you...Good night."
The more things change, the more they -- you know it's the same old hamster wheel: this exchange is an updating and revision of this 2006 Jihad Watch post about another Afghan convert to Christianity who was facing the death penalty. Condoleezza Rice actually did call Karzai over that case; neither Hillary Clinton nor anyone else in the Obama Administration has taken any notice of this one.
More on this story. "One-legged Afghan Red Cross worker set to be hanged after converting to Christianity," from the Daily Mail, February 7 (thanks to all who sent this in):
An Afghan physiotherapist will be executed within three days for converting to Christianity.Said Musa, 45, has been held for eight months in a Kabul prison were he claims he has been tortured and sexually abused by inmates and guards.
Mr Musa, who lost his left leg in a landmine explosion in the 1990s, has worked for the Red Cross for 15 years and helps to treat fellow amputees....
He claims he was visited by a judge who told him he would be hanged within days unless he converted back to Islam.
But he remains defiant and said he would be willing to die for his faith....
Defence lawyers have refused to represent him, while others have dropped the case after receiving death threats....