A man went on trial last week in the court system of a newly liberated Afghanistan. His family members felt his crime so offensive, they turned him in themselves. The prosecutor is seeking the most severe penalty allowed under the nation’s law for the heinous crime – death.
What did Abdul Rahman do that deserves such swift and harsh treatment?
He became a Christian. Read the story here.
According to Islamic law, called Shariah, a Muslim who converts to any other religion is an apostate and must be given a chance to repent or be put to death. The Quran does not explicitly call for such action, though interpretations vary over the centuries, with a more moderate approach dominating current thought, at least in the West.
However, what is undisputed is that all four schools of thought that make up Shariah agree the apostate must be put to death. The sources for this opinion include the Hadith (collection of writings about Mohammed’s life and teachings), tradition and the Quran.
An excerpt from The Penalities for Apostasy in Islam by ‘Abdurrahmani’l-Djaziri:
If (the apostate) needs time to reconsider, it is desirable that the judge allow him a three-day extension, during which he is to remain in custody. If he accepts Islam thereafter, it is good; if not, he is to be killed, for Allah says to “kill those who believe in many gods” (Sura al-Tawba 9:5), without fixing a deadline. The Prophet also said, “Kill him who changes his religion,” without mentioning a delay, because the apostate is surely a hostile unbeliever and no asylum seeker (musta’min) who has asked for protection; furthermore, he is no dhimmi (a non-Muslim under Islamic rule), for no poll tax is demanded of him. Therefore, he should be killed without reservation.
The full text can be read at Light of Life here
What should disturb Americans is that this trial is going on in the open, under a new government we helped install and that we support. Listen to this quote from the judge in the case:
We are not against any particular religion in the world. But in Afghanistan, this sort of thing is against the law. It is an attack on Islam.
Converting to Christianity is against the law? And the punishment is death? This is serious.
We should pray for Abdul Rahman, that his life is spared. Apparently, this is the first such case where a convert is being faced with the death penalty. Perhaps it will not succeed.
What can we do to help?
Filed under: Thoughts |
Not Yet Arrived 
This is controversial. But I should mention that this is also a biblical law.
If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying,
Deut. 13:6-15
If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you. Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.
It is not until a person becomes Christian that they must accept that this is no longer the way. For the Muslim, it would be oppression of their religion to deny them the right of executing their religious laws. Of course, these laws do not allow for the freedom of other religions. These people should have to give up this particular right, even if it does violate their religion. Say the Christians. So, who has the power to determine whether this happens? If it is a non-Islamic nation, then that is who. If it is a government based on Islamic ideals then it is that government, and there is nothing we can do about it. The spirit is more precious than the body. If the man is willing to believe unto death then he obviously has great faith in Christ and will have a just reward.
The only theocracy worth looking forward to is the one Jesus will set up at his return. Until then…
http://www.desiringgod.org/library/topics/culture/tolerance.html
Ya, Chris (a_dude) needs to study Law/Gospel.
What can we do?
In early Christianity newly converted Christians were being tortured and killed BECAUSE they became Christians. We know that because of persecution Christianity spread. So, with the possibility of sounding heartless, maybe we should pray that this man remains strong in his Christian faith, and that he is killed so that Christianity will spread faster in Afghanistan. How awesome would it be for the middle east to have Christianity spread like wildfire under persecution.
I think its exciting to see how God’s going to work. Now, all we need are Paul’s who are willing to go over there knowing they are going to die for spreading the Word.
Chris said:
“Ya, Chris (a_dude) needs to study Law/Gospel.”
Could you clarify what you mean by this? Because it could be taken more than one way. Is there something you disagree with from my comment? If so, what?
While Stacie’s comment seems a bit “heartless”, I understand her point, and the principle is true. Death is not the end, not for the man and not for Christ. However, if these laws are changed then that is great, as Christianity could prosper in a different way — where the Christian’s DON’T die.