Abdul Rahman Thanks the Pope for His Intervention
Photo of Abdul Rahman courtesy of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung
An Afghan man who could have faced the death penalty for becoming a Christian has said he would probably have been killed had he remained in Afghanistan.
Speaking to journalists in Italy, where he has been given asylum, Abdul Rahman, 41, thanked Pope Benedict XVI for leading the campaign to have him freed.
He said he never wanted to return to Afghanistan and was concerned for the safety of his family there.
Afghan MPs have condemned his release and said he should have not have left. read it all here: Afghan convert 'would be killed'
Mark Alexander
30 comments:
I applaud Pope Benedict XVI for taking the lead in getting this man released. Other Christian leaders were strangely silent. Parenthetically, I noticed that the Archbishop of Canterbury was making a pious promulgation on greenhouse gases during this time. As kids say, "go figure"
US Iconoclastic Patriot:
I applaud Pope Benedict XVI for taking the lead in getting this man released.
So do I!
Other Christian leaders were strangely silent.
Weren't they though?
Parenthetically, I noticed that the Archbishop of Canterbury was making a pious promulgation on greenhouse gases during this time. As kids say, "go figure"
What else can we expect from the Archbishop of Canterbury? As my grandmother used to say: What do you expect from a donkey but a kick?
Always:
What can we expect from the Islamic world except barbarism?
Thank God this new Pope has some intestinal fortitude and will stand up to the ROH (Religion of Hate).
Has anyone heard what's happened the daughters of this man? I read his is very concerned about their safety since they are still in Afghanistan.
OT-My sister just picked up your book for me Mark, it looks good. I have a library book I just started yesterday, "The West's Last Chance"--so I should be reading yours sometime next week.
Welcome back, Heather! It's great to have you back with us.
Thank God this new Pope has some intestinal fortitude and will stand up to the ROH (Religion of Hate).
The Pope seems to be just about the only religious figure (that everyone knows across the world) that has the "intestinal fortitude" to stand up to this force for evil.
Has anyone heard what's happened the daughters of this man? I read his is very concerned about their safety since they are still in Afghanistan.
I haven't. But I think they'd better get the hell out of that hell-hole before the barbarians go for them, too.
My sister just picked up your book for me Mark, it looks good. I have a library book I just started yesterday, "The West's Last Chance"--so I should be reading yours sometime next week.
Hope you enjoy it. Please let me know.
Iran Watch:
You did notice that he was declared mentally incompetent and that it is still illegal to convert to Christianity in Afghanistan.
Yes, I did. It doesn't auger well, does it?
My questions is: Are we going to transfer every single apostate to the West?
Perhaps our public services should try to work out strategies for convincing potential converts to remain Muslim.
Anything to uphold the new image demotheocracy in place.
Good enough for me
Benito:
Although he was certainly anti-muslim and very pointed about it.
Was he really? However anti-Muslim he was, he had a mistress - Claretta Petacci - to was said to be a convert to Islam!
Furthermore, Mussolini declared himself in 1937, 'Protector of Islam' in Libya! Protector of Islam.
Benito again:
Now, if Pope Benedict will just call for a new Crusade...
As il duce, I think you have a duty to suggest this to the Pope. I'm sure you could hold sway over him if you really tried, Benito. I'm sure you have ways of making him listen to your reasoned point of view.
Missing Link:
My questions is: Are we going to transfer every single apostate to the West?
It would seem that we are going to have to!
I wouldn't worry about your typos, Heather, as the gremlins are about. They have been for about a fortnight now. They're invisible to the naked eye, but they are everywhere around.
Heather,
Has anyone heard what's happened the daughters of this man?
I've looked and looked for this information. I can't find any.
Those poor girls! What will become of them?
Alwyas:
I've heard nothing about them, either.
As I understand it, Mussolini, it was his mistress (Claretta Petacci) who turned to Islam, not his wife. But you seem to know more about Mussolini than I; so I wouldn't argue with you about it.
I have a book here on Mussolini's life which I started reading some two years ago, but didn't get round to finishing it. I shall have to dig it out and do some research when I get the time.
Filou:
Let us not kid ourselves; the Vatican has not done much to protect persecuted Christians.
That's very true. It's a crying shame, isn't it?
But the Vatican did seem to do more than most Christian organisations to free this man.
Filou,
You are so right--why has the world turned their back on the genocide in Sudan?
The UN has proved itself to be worthless in this (and ALL) situation(s). Why does the US fund this corrupt, worse than useless organization?
The current Pope has said:
"The horror of events unfolding in Darfur, to which my beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II referred on many occasions, points to the need for a stronger international resolve to ensure security and basic human rights," Benedict XVI said.
...... the pope said he felt compelled to "add my voice to the cry of the suffering" in Darfur, adding that the Vatican will continue to do everything possible to "end the cycle of violence and misery."
Does anyone know what the Pope is doing to help these people?
OT--I just found this link for those who may be interested in helping.
SAVE DAFUR
I don't know much of about this group, but did notice a couple of Muslim organizations listed as members who want to stop the genocide in Darfur and the Sudan. Seems rather disingenuous to me, but perhaps I'm a tad cynical at this point--prove me wrong.
They're having a rally (SAVE DARFUR: Rally to Stop Genocide) on April 30th in the Washington D.C. area.
About Abdul's daughters:
The whole story is incredibly sad.
I asumed that you guys knew his whole story (as much as we can call these scatty glimpses as "whole")
He converted to Christianity while working in Pakistan for a Christian NGO in 1990.
It was then when his wife left him and returned to Afghanistan with the kids.
I have a link to the story in mt news section here: http://democracyfrontline.org/news/?p=329
I wouldn't worry about your typos, Heather, as the gremlins are about. They have been for about a fortnight now. They're invisible to the naked eye, but they are everywhere around.
They must be Mark--all my posts seem to be filled with "typos"--why they would chose me is pretty strange.
Filou,
Thanks for the links. Last September I had two posts on Darfur, Sudan:
29 dead as Darfur refugee camp attacked for first time
The African Union is failing in Darfur
By the way, and on the topic of Sudan, did you know that close to 10% of China oil imports come from Sudan? No surprise they have always threatened to use their veto at the Security Council to block any tough resolutions against Sudan...
Actually, this doesn't surprise me at all. The Chinese government has a very bad record concerning human rights.
Filou,
You might be interested in the following articles:
China, Sudan to enhance military cooperation
Inaction now will allow meltdown of Darfur
Mussolini:
I might be a little too deep for your readers there.
You are being quite profound here, but I don't think that will prove any problem for us. Stay as profound as you wish. :-)
The book I have on Mussolini is called Mussolini: A New Life, and was written by Nicholas Farrell.
I don't remember where I picked up the story about Claretta Petacci, though. It might have been in the book, or it might have been on the Web.
Filou:
What has the Vatican done to protect those Christians that are suffering because of their very beliefs?
The short answer is this: Not half enough! Though I believe that they are probably doing more than most others.
Our politicians hardly seem to raise the question. Other churches, too, are strangely silent.
Heather:
They must be Mark--all my posts seem to be filled with "typos"--why they would chose me is pretty strange.
I don't see all those typos you're talking about. Are you sure you are not having problems with your own computer?
Filou:
Mark, I agree that the Vatican seems to have done more than other organizations to free this man.
That being said, this man is just the tip of the iceberg.
Yes. So many more are suffering.
To save his life and many others, it would seem that the Vatican would need to address the treatment of christians in the Muslim world.
Exactly. But this is a hot political potato. To do that, the Vatican would need to enlist the help of politicians, I believe. Our politicians are not eager to touch this issue simply because they do not wish to do anything but pander to the Muslim world. Don't forget that they want their oil; and many people at the top are making mega-bucks from contracts.
My issue with this whole thing is that by bringing Abdul to Italy, we are basically avoiding to really tackle the issue at hand. As a result, more christians and converts from Islam will suffer...
I agree with you totally. This doesn't solve the issue. Nor does it look as if democracy in Afghanistan is anything but a mirage.
Filou:
I have just seen your blog. It looks very interesting. Perhaps we should exchange links.
Thank you all for those interesting links.
'The Woman in Red' comes to mind! LOL
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