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El hombre que fue enjuiciado y casi condenado a muerte en Afganistán por haberse convertido del islam al cristianismo llegó el miércoles a Italia, donde recibió asilo.

El primer ministro Silvio Berlusconi dijo que Abdul Rahman ya había arribado y estaba al cuidado del ministerio del Interior.

“Ya está en Italia”, dijo. “Creo que arribó anoche”.

El encarcelamiento de Rahman en Afganistan dio lugar a un pedido del papa Benedicto XVI al presidente afgano Hamid Karzai y a esfuerzos de la ONU para hallar un país dispuesto a darle asilo.

El canciller Gianfranco Fini se expidió sobre el caso desde el comienzo, afirmando que Italia debía expresar su “indignación”.

Italia otorga asilo a afgano converso. Leer todo.

Yo lo he leído en Speaking in Silver.

Actualizado.

En CNSNews.com, donde Patrick Goodenough está haciendo un seguimiento extraordinario de este importantísimo asunto desde una perspectiva no tan noticiosa y sí muy analítica, recogen el hecho y, lejos de cualquier euforia, reflexionan sobre la realidad pavorosa subyacente en los países donde se aplica, de una u otra forma, la shari’a.

How Muslims should treat an apostate (or “murtadd” in Arabic) is the subject of much debate. Some Islamic scholars focus on the words and actions of Mohammed, who was reported in the Hadith, or traditions of the prophet, to have said that anyone who abandons Islam should be killed.

Others emphasize the Koran’s injunction that there should be “no compulsion in religion,” and argue that Mohammed’s words on the subject were only applicable in specific contexts and applied in cases where people left Islam and also betrayed the Islamic state.

The Barnabas Fund, which campaigns for Christian minorities in Islamic societies, says although a minority of liberal Muslims had long promoted the latter argument, it had yet to make any impact on the official teaching of shari’a, as formulated in the Middle Ages.

The religious freedom group International Christian Concern welcomed the news about Rahman, but said it was “merely a short-term solution to the fundamental problem with Afghanistan’s interpretation of Islamic law.”

“While we can celebrate the rescue of a courageous Christian, Afghanistan remains unchanged in its lack of respect for human rights.”

Arie de Pater, advocacy spokesman for Open Doors, said the release of Rahman “leaves the [Afghan] constitution and the law unchanged, so that apostates remain under threat of being hanged.”

Campaigners say the problem is not restricted to Afghanistan.

“Minority Christians face severe and growing persecution in many Islamic nations including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and elsewhere,” Jim Jacobson of Christian Freedom International said earlier.

“This must be condemned at the highest levels wherever and whenever it occurs.”

“There are former Muslims who now follow Jesus Christ in every country of the world, including others in Afghanistan,” said the Barnabas Fund.

“For all of them Islam’s apostasy law has implications. Though only a handful of countries have the death sentence for apostasy in their law, in every Muslim society there is a widespread knowledge of what shari’a says on this subject.”

As a result, it said, converts face difficulties including harassment, rejection by their families and communities, official discrimination on a variety of pretexts, violence, and sometimes murder.

Afghan Convert Saved, But Apostasy Problem Endures. Leer entero.