West Works to Free Christian Afghan

The United States and three NATO allies with troops in Afghanistan urged the Kabul government Tuesday to respect the religious freedom of an Afghan convert to Christianity who faces the death penalty there.

The United States, which counts Afghan President Hamid Karzai as a key ally in the region, raised the case with visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah, calling on Kabul to uphold Afghan citizens’ constitutional right to choose their faith.

“We hope that the Afghan Constitution is going to be upheld, and in our view, if it’s upheld, then of course he’ll be found to be innocent,” said R. Nicholas Burns, the State Department’s No. 3 diplomat.

An Afghan judge said Sunday that a man named Abdur Rahman had been jailed for converting from Islam to Christianity and could face the death penalty if he refused to become a Muslim again. Sharia, or Islamic law, stipulates death for apostasy.

“While we understand the complexity of a case like this and we certainly will respect the sovereignty of the Afghan authorities and the Afghan system, from an American point of view, people should be free to choose their own religion,” Burns told reporters, with Abdullah at his side.

Abdullah said his government had “nothing to do” with the judicial case, but added: “I hope that through our constitutional process, there will be a satisfactory result.”

Italy called in the Afghan ambassador in Rome, two German Cabinet ministers spoke out and Germany’s top Roman Catholic cardinal demanded Rahman’s freedom.

Canada said it was concerned and urged the Afghan government to meet its human rights obligations.

The protests present a dilemma for Karzai, who needs foreign troops to help fight the Al Qaeda terrorist network and Taliban remnants.

About 19,000 U.S. troops are in the country targeting Taliban and Al Qaeda forces. Germany has 2,700 soldiers in Afghanistan, Canada has 2,300 and Italy has 1,775.

Abdullah said the Afghan Embassy in Washington had received “hundreds of messages” from Americans about the case.

“I know that it is a very sensitive issue, and we know the concerns of the American people,” he said.

About 99% of Afghanistan’s more than 25 million people are Muslim.