Abdul Rahman

Afghan Democracy; Is hope fading?

Sixteen years ago Abdul Rahman worked for a humanitarian medical aide group in Afghanistan. While there, members of the group shared Christianity with him. During a child custody dispute with his ex-wife authorities learned that Rahman had denounced Allah and rejected Islam in favor of Christianity. Because Shar'ia law calls for the death penalty in such cases, Rahman is scheduled to be beheaded and his body torn into pieces.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has been bending the ear of Afghan President Hamid Karzai in hopes to make him understand that the very heart of Democratic law is that the people 'MUST' have religious freedom. Condi said yesterday, "We have raised it in the strongest possible terms to make clear that it is our great hope and desire that Afghanistan will reaffirm what is already in its constitution, that the universal declaration on human rights will be respected, and that this will be resolved in a way that is consistent with those principles."

I know I am not alone in my sheer anger and frustration at stories like this. We as Americans have spent billions of dollars and many American lives to give the gift of freedom and prosperity to this and many other nations, only to have them warp and misuse it!

You know what it's like? It's like a father giving his 18 month old daughter a crisp new 100 dollar bill. He explains the meaning of money and drives home the importance of financial responsibility, then leaves her with the cash, all the while hoping she is responsible. When I learn of things like the pending 'MURDER' of an innocent man like Rahman I feel like the father as he watches the torn pieces of the 'C' note swirl down the toilet drain while his truly clueless toddler smiles and claps. I am disgusted and saddened by this, and I am certain it is an indicator of what is to come. My hope for success in Iraq is indelibly diminished when I realize this cannot be stopped.


Wrong is wrong!

A liberal friend of mine told me today that he does not know what all the fuss is about. He said that the people of Afghanistan are simply acting in accordance with their law and to them it is right and just. Now I know not all Liberals share this young man's warped view but I must explain why this is twisted logic because I am sure there are many others on either side of the isle who think this way.

Morality is static. It does not change. At one time it was legal and a common practice to own, rape, beat and torture people in America based on their skin color. That does not mean that those who did so then were right until the thirteenth Amendment was enacted in 1865. It was wrong all along. Right and wrong are not relative to your faith, culture, creed or the age you live in or anything else. To say that it is OK for them to mutilate this man solely because of his religious convictions is not only warped but it is unacceptable. As unacceptable as the act it's self.

Please join me in prayer for this young man and the future of Afghanistan.