This is perhaps new since this afternoon (thanks to Michelle for the link). Scroll down to the bottom of this AFP article for the new information:
Bush 'pleased' with release of Afghan convert
28 March 2006
20:10, Agence France Presse
WASHINGTON, March 28, 2006 (AFP) -
The White House said on Tuesday it was pleased that Afghanistan had released a man who had been threatened with the death penalty for converting to Christianity and vowed to continue to press Kabul to uphold religious freedom.
"Obviously, it's good news that he has been released," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told a news conference.
"We are pleased that this was resolved in a favorable manner," he added.
Abdul Rahman, 41, was released from a maximum security jail outside Kabul late Monday and was being kept at a secure location for his own protection following calls for his execution under Afghanistan's version of Sharia Islamic law.
The US and other Western countries had put unprecedented pressure on the new government in Afghanistan to spare Rahman's life and honor freedom of religion.
Referring to Afghanistan as a "new and emerging democracy," McClellan said Bush would continue to urge the Kabul government to uphold its constitution and to respect religious freedom.
"The president has made it clear that we expect people's religious freedoms to be protected. And so we'll continue to make that clear to the government of Afghanistan as they move forward," he said.
Rahman was arrested this month after it emerged that he was a Christian during a family dispute that went to police. He converted 16 years ago in Pakistan and spent many years in Germany before returning to Afghanistan around 2002.
The Italian foreign ministry said Italy was ready to admit Rahman. An embassy spokesman said a final decision on whether to offer asylum would be taken Wednesday.
I just pray there are no last-minute snags. This man needs to be out of Afghanistan before Friday prayers are used to incite violence. If he's still in-country, there may be more violence in Afghanistan's streets than what we've seen so far. It's enough that we may see world-wide violence over this.
On a related subject, here's a passage from a wonderful new article by Mike Aquilina from the March 2006 issue of Touchstone Magazine, The Martyr's Cup (sadly, it's not available online):
In the New Testament, St. Peter puts our Holy Communion in the most powerful terms: We have become partakers of the divine nature. And what is that nature? How does God live in eternity? What is the Trinity for us, besides a theological abstraction and a mathematical enigma? John said it all: God is Love. God is self-giving, life-giving love. From all eternity, God the Father pours himself out in love for the Son. He holds nothing back. The Son returns that love to the Father with everything he has. He holds nothing back. And (as the Western tradition has understood it) the love that they share is the Holy Spirit. This is the life the martyrs knew even at the moment of their death -- especially at the moment of their death.
I think we've forgotten what it means to be persecuted, or to face martyrdom, in Christ's name. This wasn't always so.
St Agnes:
St. Ursula:
St. Florian:
St. Stephen:
And so many more. The Anchoress is right,
"The Holy Spirit works in ways we can’t begin to fathom." Mr. Rahman has reminded me what it means to be Christian in a world so filled with brutality. Without his witness, I would have gone through yet another Easter season without anything to show for it.
I pray he finds safety and peace.
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