Abdul Rahman is seeking asylum in a new country:
An Afghan man who faced the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity has appealed for asylum in another country, the United Nations said Monday.
U.N. spokesman Adrian Edwards said the world body was working with the Afghan government to meet the request by Abdul Rahman, 41.
“Mr. Rahman has asked for asylum outside Afghanistan,” he said. “We expect this will be provided by one of the countries interested in a peaceful solution to this case.”
Earlier, hundreds of people protested a court’s decision Sunday to drop the case against Rahman, and an official said discussions were underway to determine when he would be released.
Officials said the case was dropped partially because of concerns that Rahman is mentally unfit to face trial. The move also followed strong pressure from Western governments.
Prosecutors have said they want doctors to examine Rahman, but they have not confirmed that he would be released. Prosecutor Sarinwal Zamari said state attorneys were working on the case Monday and an announcement would be made later in the day.
An Afghan official closely involved with the case told The Associated Press that Rahman would be released, but authorities were debating how and when it would be done.
Because our government was slow to respond, it should be the first to offer him asylum. The leaders of Germany, Italy, Canada, and Australia were the first countries to express outrage about Mr. Rahman’s prosecution. They may be interested in helping him.
Now, the question is once a country agrees to grant him asylum, will he be released into the custody of the receiving country or will Mr. Rahman be released back into the public to fend for himself?
I’d be willing to help the guy out. Would anyone else here? Let’s see where he chooses to go. If it is America, we should all help.
Perhaps Yale could find a spot for him?
This is the most important revelation of weapons of mass destruction in the middle East , must less IRAQ. As far as I am concern, Mr. Rahman
is welcome as a brother to me in the USA.
That’s an old trick to get Greencard!
I sure don’t see how the US gov’t was “slow to respond.” The day after the story hit the wires, Bush was saying he didn’t like it. Okay, he didn’t threaten to nuke Kabul or cut all foreign aid. Those threats weren’t necessary. His message got through loud and clear–and of course was joined by many other heads of state.
I’ve certainly no problem with Abdul Rahman’s coming to the US, but I equally certainly don’t see any reason to be guilted into letting him in.
Where’s Sean Penn when you really need him?
dude
What is worse an Afghan government made up of the Taliban, who shelter Al Qaeda, who hated the US, would gladly work with those who would do the US harm and would execute a man for converting from Islam to Chritianity or an Afghan government that that fights the Taliban, assists in rooting out Al Qaeda, who welcomes working with the US, who aids the US in fighting terrorism and would execute a man for converting from Islam to Chritianity.
I don’t like it any better than anyone else, but the war on terrorism is a much bigger deal than this one individual. If I was to suggest a country, it would be Canada. Civilized enough that he is not likely to be stabbed in the street by a islamic fanatic (which rules out most of Europe), multi-cultural enough to assimilate him (I suspect that some of the valleys in the Rockies would also look a lot like home), with a conservative enough leader that he won’t be offered up on a stick the next time we have a cartoon jihad up rising and not so critical to us in the war on terror that the emnity the asylum is likely to bring would hurt the war effort (which leaves out Australia).