Posted on 02/18/2011 3:33:02 PM PST by don-o
A terrible drama is unfolding in Afghanistan: There are reports that Said Musa, whose situation I described at Christmas, will soon be executed for the ‘crime’ of choosing to become a Christian. (For background, see here.)
Musa was one of about 25 Christians arrested on May 31, 2010, after a May 27 Noorin TV program showed video of a worship service held by indigenous Afghan Christians; he was arrested as he attempted to seek asylum at the German embassy. He converted to Christianity eight years ago, is the father of six young children, had a leg amputated after he stepped on a landmine while serving in the Afghan Army, and now has a prosthetic leg. His oldest child is eight and one is disabled (she cannot speak). He worked for the Red Cross/Red Crescent as an adviser to other amputees.
He was forced to appear before a judge without any legal counsel and without knowledge of the charges against him. “Nobody [wanted to be my] defender before the court. When I said ‘I am a Christian man,’ he [a potential lawyer] immediately spat on me and abused me and mocked me. . . . I am alone between 400 [people with] terrible values in the jail, like a sheep.” He has been beaten, mocked, and subjected to sleep deprivation and sexual abuse while in prison. No Afghan lawyer will defend him and authorities denied him access to a foreign lawyer.
Any and every human being who is imprisoned, abused, or tortured for the free and peaceful expression of their faith deserves our support, but Musa is also a remarkable person and Christian. In a letter smuggled to the West, he says, “The authority and prisoners in jail did many bad behaviour with me about my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. For example, they did sexual things with me, beat me by wood, by hands, by legs, put some things on my head.”
He added a thing much more important to him, that they “mocked me ‘he’s Jesus Christ,’ spat on me, nobody let me for sleep night and day. . . . Please, please, for the sake of Lord Jesus Christ help me.” (View the full letter here)
He has not, in fact, even appealed to be released, only to be transferred to another prison. He has also stated that he is willing to give his life for his faith. “Please, please you should transfer me from this jail to a jail that supervises the believers. . . . I also agree . . . to sacrifice my life in public [where] I will tell [about my] faith in Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, [so] other believers will take courage and be strong in their faith.”
Newspapers in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe have reported the story, but with, the exception of the Wall Street Journal and, of course, NRO, American outlets have not found it worthy of attention. The Journal reports that “Afghan officials have been unapologetic: ‘The sentence for a convert is death and there is no exception,’ said Jamal Khan, chief of staff at the Ministry of Justice. ‘They must be sentenced to death to serve as a lesson for others.’”
The U.S. government — reportedly including Secretary of State Clinton — and other governments have pushed for his release, but to no avail.
But the president has been silent, even as we fight a war that has among its goals the creation of a government that conforms to international human-rights standards.
An American president certainly needs to guard and shepherd his political capital, and should not speak out about every prisoner. But Musa himself has appealed to “President Brother Obama” to rescue him from his current jail. And when an obscure and aberrant Florida pastor, Terry Jones, threatened to burn a Koran, not only President Obama but much of his cabinet, as well as General Petraeus, weighed in on the matter.
If the actions of a Florida pastor who threatened to destroy a book holy to Muslims deserved public and presidential attention, then the actions of the Afghan government, ostensibly a ‘democratic’ ally, to destroy something holy to Christians, a human being made in the image of God, also deserve public and presidential attention.
ping
Right now it looks like a major negatron on anything like that happening.
If Afghans want to look like real bad-asses in this world they've succeeded.
This is just devastating. I know we have all been praying for this man and his family, I just cannot believe that nothing can be done.
God have mercy on us all, God bless this martyr for Christ, God save him, I beg in Christ’s Holy Name.
We should wash our hands of Karzai, his entourage, and
his corrupt excuse for a country.
MR. PRESIDENT OBAMA, IF YOU OR YOUR WEB BOTS ARE READING THIS, YOU BETTER DO SOMETHING, THIS JUST CAN’T BE....THERE IS NO OTHER DECENT CHOICE THAN TO COME TO THE DEFENSE OF A MAN’S BASIC RIGHT TO CHOOSE HIS RELIGION.
Why are our troops are fighting and dying for that P.O.S. country? Maybe we should redeploy the troops to Mexico.
God have mercy on us all, God bless this martyr for Christ, God save him, I beg in Christ’s Holy Name.
+1
Amazing really, we spend our blood and national treasure and the Afghan Govt is just as locked into a 700’s death cult as they ever were.
Prayers for this fine man and his family.
Unfortunately, Christians are being persecuted all over the ME... thousands have fled Iraq since we toppled Saddam, we haven’t made protection of Christians a priority anywhere. Now our installed leaders in Iraq and Afghanistan feel free to engage in all manner of discrimination. What did our $1T+ buy?
Egypt, here we come!
< / Sharia >
I hope Obama keeps his mouth shut, because if he does speak up about this, I’m convinced it will be in support the execution.
It’s time for a pastor to call for conversion Islam to be a death penalty offense in the US and see how the left responds
“I know we have all been praying for this man and his family, I just cannot believe that nothing can be done.”
These stories are so heartbreaking, especially when I think about how discouring they must be to other Christians living in these countries. They really seem to only have 3 options: flee, hide in fear, or be martyred.
Maybe if 10,000 American citizens got together and went to Afghanistan to peacefully preach the Gospel, willing to be martyred alongside this brave man, then our government would do something. Short of that, I just don’t know.
Why are we losing our best men and women in Afghanistan? For a corrupt, election-stealing slob like Karzai? For the thieves who have reportedly stolen $800 million in US aid and deposited it in Mideast banks? For a theocratic state that deems anyone practicing a minority religion to be worthy of the death penalty?
We’ll hear more about Laura Logan than this saint......
I am ready to get out...someone tell me again why we should stay?
Can’t we leave, if one of their a..holes comes over again in a plane, lets just nuke them back.
RE: I hope Obama keeps his mouth shut, because if he does speak up about this, I’m convinced it will be in support the execution.
His silence is support for this mans murder. Obama is a Muslim enuf said
Agreeing in your prayer for this man.
The U.S. government -- reportedly including Secretary of State Clinton -- and other governments have pushed for his release, but to no avail. But the president has been silent, even as we fight a war that has among its goals the creation of a government that conforms to international human-rights standards.
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