Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Afghanistan drops the ball

A man who converted to Christianity 16 years ago is on trial for the crime of converting from Islam, and by Sharia law that means he could get the death penalty.  The court is maintaining that since one of the articles of the Afghani constitution is that “no law shall contravene the tenets and provisions of the holy religion of Islam” that means that constitutionally the man should be punished.

The article points out that their constitution also says, “followers of other faiths shall be free within the bounds of law in the exercise and performance of their religious rights.”

So we appear to have a contradiction in the fundamental law governing this new democracy.  The US should push hard to get this law clear and clarified in the direction of religious tolerance. 

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