You'd have to be crazy to convert from Islam

The road to Damascus doesn't pass through Sharia country anymore.

AFGHAN PROSECUTOR ABDUL WASI
He would have been forgiven if he changed back. But he said he was a Christian and would always remain one. We are Muslims and becoming a Christian is against our laws. He must get the death penalty.

AFGHAN SUPREME COURT JUDGE ANSARULLAH MAWLAVIZADA
If he doesn't revert back to Islam, he's going to receive the death penalty, according to the law.

AFGHAN ECONOMY MINISTER AMIN FARHANG
The heated and emotional reaction of German politicians is exaggerated and has caused annoyance among Afghans... Of course fanatics demand the death penalty in such cases, but it is very unlikely that it will be imposed on Rahman.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4832044.stm

According to press reports, Abdul Rahman has been charged in a lower court with converting to Christianity over 15 years ago, while working in Peshawar, Pakistan, where he worked with a foreign NGO assisting Afghan refugees. Abdul Rahman has reportedly been accused of converting to Christianity by estranged members of his family, possibly in connection with a dispute over the custody of children.

State prosecutors, apparently relying on Article 130 of Afghanistan’s constitution, have charged Abdul Rahman for his alleged conversion. Article 130 enables prosecutors to bring forward cases of alleged crimes about which there is no codified law “in accordance with the Hanafi jurisprudence”. The same article, however, calls on courts to rule “within the limits of the constitution” and “in a way to serve justice in the best possible manner”.

Article 7 of the Constitution declares, moreover, that “the state shall abide by the UN Charter, international treaties, international conventions that Afghanistan has signed, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.

As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the government of Afghanistan is bound to uphold Article 18, which provides that “everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion” and that “this right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice”. In its General Comment on this Article, the Human Rights Committee, the panel of independent UN experts which examine states’ implementation to the ICCPR, has stated* that “the freedom to ‘have or to adopt’ a religion or belief necessarily entails the freedom to choose a religion or belief, including the right to replace one's current religion or belief with another or to adopt atheistic views, as well as the right to retain one's religion or belief”. It further stated that “the use of threat of physical force or penal sanctions to compel believers or non-believers to adhere to their religious beliefs […], to recant their religion or belief or to convert” is prohibited.

Amnesty International believes that for "justice to be served in the best possible manner", as required by Article 130 of the Constitution, the authorities should ensure that international standards of justice, including human rights law are accorded a primary place, as guaranteed by the Article 7 of the Constitution.

If Abdul Rahman has been charged solely because of his religious beliefs, Amnesty International would consider him a prisoner of conscience and would call for his immediate and unconditional release. The charges against him should be dropped and if necessary he should be protected against any abuses within the community.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/document.do?id=ENGASA110082006

Australia, the United States and NATO allies Germany and Italy, all of whom have troops in Afghanistan, have expressed concern at the trial of 41-year-old Abdul Rahman. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told ABC TV on Wednesday night that everyone should have religious freedom.

"We obviously wouldn't want to see anybody face execution just for exercising their freedom of religion," he said. "So bearing in mind this case has arisen, we're raising it with the Afghan government. So have the Americans and the British and Italians and Germans and other countries."

Afghan Supreme Court judge Ansarullah Mawlavizada told AFP that Rahman converted 16 years ago while working for a Christian aid organisation in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar.

A court spokesman said Rahman may not have to stand trial if he was proved mentally unfit.

"As far as I've noticed and been told, he might have a mental problem," Supreme Court spokesman Wakil Omar said.

"If he is proved mentally ill, then he wouldn't be tried."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Australia-backs-Afghan-Christian-convert/2006/03/23/1142703474490.html

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says the man's conversion is a personal matter not subject to the intervention of the state.

In its statement, CAIR said:

"Islamic scholars say the original rulings on apostasy were similar to those for treasonous acts in legal systems worldwide and do not apply to an individual's choice of religion. Islam advocates both freedom of religion and freedom of conscience, a position supported by verses in the Quran, Islam's revealed text, such as:

1) 'If it had been the will of your Lord that all the people of the world should be believers, all the people of the earth would have believed! Would you then compel mankind against their will to believe?' (10:99)
2) '(O Prophet) proclaim: 'This is the Truth from your Lord. Now let him who will, believe in it, and him who will, deny it.'' (18:29)
3) 'If they turn away from thee (O Muhammad) they should know that We have not sent you to be their keeper. Your only duty is to convey My message.' (42:48)
4) 'Let there be no compulsion in religion.' (2:256)

"Religious decisions should be matters of personal choice, not a cause for state intervention. Faith imposed by force is not true belief, but coercion. Islam has no need to compel belief in its divine truth. As the Quran states: 'Truth stands out clear from error. Therefore, whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks.' (2:256)

"We urge the government of Afghanistan to order the immediate release of Mr. Abdul Rahman."

Before issuing its statement, CAIR consulted with members of the Fiqh Council of North America, an association of Islamic legal scholars that interprets Muslim religious law.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=10811
More apostasy: http://guambatstew.blogspot.com/2005/08/religous-flaw_21.html