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Politics : I Will Continue to Continue, to Pretend.... -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sully- who wrote (18805)	3/23/2006 7:29:14 AM
From: Sully-	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 35834

Harper Intervenes On Behalf Of Abdul Rahman By Captain Ed on Canada Captain's Quarters Newly-elected Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper continues to impress in his first few weeks on the job. Not only has he declared himself committed to Canada's participation in securing Afghanistan, but he also has shown that he doesn't fear using his leverage to press the Karzai government on fundamental human rights. Harper called Hamid Karzai today to express his "concerns" about Abdul Rahman, the Christian convert facing the death penalty for his abandonment of Islam (via Michelle Malkin): <<< Prime Minister Stephen Harper phoned Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai Wednesday to express his concerns about an Afghan man facing a death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity. "President Karzai listened to my concerns and we had a productive and informative exchange of views," Harper said in a written statement. "Upon the conclusion of the call, he assured me that respect for human and religious rights will be fully upheld in this case." Meanwhile, The United Church of Canada is suggesting Ottawa use its position in Afghanistan -- with 2,200 troops in the country's south as part of a Canadian-led multinational brigade -- to promote human rights. These rights include "the rights of Afghans to choose and change religion without fear of losing their lives,'' the letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said. >>> Harper has proven himself more nimble at international politics than the White House this week. This case provides a clear example of the difficulties in bringing democracy as a guarantor of human rights to the ummah, and it puts the US in the position of criticizing the government it desperately wants to support. Understandably, Washington does not want to give the impression that Karzai lacks our support. It could undermine Karzai and the democratic government we have worked hard to build if we start issuing ultimatums. However, the same is equally true for Harper, and added to that is Harper's tenuous political position as the largely untested leader of a minority government in a parliamentary system. Harper has taken on considerable risk in deploying the large contingent of Canadian troops to Afghanistan in support of the Coalition effort, especially given the unease north of the 49th about America's military efforts there and in Iraq. However, Harper hasn't let that get in the way of defending the values that matter most to people in the West -- freedom of conscience and freedom of faith. If we are not willing to take a stand and defend those, then we have conceded critical territory. Too bad the White House could not have done the same thing. Instead, it sent a quiet message via an undersecretary, giving the impression that the US has few concerns about freedom in the region. This follows on the heels of the incoherent response to the Prophet Cartoon riots. Again, the US has given a strange, mixed message about the very values we have set out to defend in this war. captainsquartersblog.com ctv.ca michellemalkin.com

To: Sully- who wrote (18805)	3/23/2006 12:58:37 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

WANT GOOD NEWS? AFGHANIS SAYING RAHMAN WON'T BE EXECUTED TKS jim geraghty reporting In the post below, I told the Anchoress and anyone else feeling down about the deluge of bad news coming at us 24-7 to recognize the good news in the world, good news that is often either unreported or given the worst possible spin in the headlines. Start with the trial of Abdul Rahman, the Afghan convert to Christianity. President Bush has weighed in, understated but direct. Cam and others are helping organize a protest at the Afghan Embassy in D.C., Friday at noon. The fact that the prosecutor is now claiming Rahman may be mad is a somewhat hopeful sign — there's a loophole to get him off the hook. There are also reports that "diplomats from several nations said on Wednesday they had been assured Mr Abdul Rahman, in his 40s, would not be put to death and Afghan diplomatic sources confirmed this." I'd rather that the Afghan government made clear that converting from Islam is not a crime in their nation. But accounts suggest that the Afghan government was seeking a way to drop the case because of the reaction it has caused. And it's nice to see the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington coming out and declaring Rahman's conversion to be "a personal matter not subject to the intervention of the state," with no, "Yes, but." In fact, they cite Koranic verses banning complusion of religion. tks.nationalreview.com nysun.com camedwards.com theage.com.au freep.com

To: Sully- who wrote (18805)	3/27/2006 2:09:51 AM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

Rahman Unbound By Captain Ed on Religion Captain's Quarters ABC News reports this morning that the Afghanistan convert to Christianity, Abdul Rahman, has had the charges dropped against him for abandoning Islam (via Michelle Malkin): <<< "The court dismissed today the case against Abdul Rahman for a lack of information and a lot of legal gaps in the case," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter. He said the case has been returned to the prosecutors for more investigation, but that in the meantime Rahman would be released. "The decision about his release will be taken possibly tomorrow," he said. >>> This isn't the end of the story, and it may well be that Rahman faces more danger now than he did before. Earlier today, before the decision was announced, Afghan authorities transferred Rahman to a maximum-security prison where former Taliban soldiers and al-Qaeda terrorists are detained. One can imagine how precarious Rahman's fate will be when word gets around the yard about his conversion to Christianity -- which will probably be obvious five times a day when Rahman doesn't kneel in the direction of Mecca. Even if he survives to be released, he faces a nation that overwhelmingly believes he deserves punishment for his religious beliefs, and some may feel it necessary to deliver it personally. His best bet is to apply for asylum to the West, preferably the US but at least anywhere but Afghanistan and Pakistan in the near term. Given enough time, they may learn religious tolerance, but that time obviously has not come yet. captainsquartersblog.com abcnews.go.com michellemalkin.com