This morning I read disturbing news about an Afghan that converted to Christianity and now might be facing the death penalty for choosing a religion different from Islam.
A man could be sentenced to death after being charged with converting from Islam to Christianity, a crime under Afghanistan’s shariah laws, a judge said yesterday. The trial is thought to be the first of its kind in Afghanistan and highlights a struggle between religious conservatives and reformists over what shape Islam will take four years after the fall of the Taliban.
Abdul Rahman, 41, was arrested last month after his family accused him of becoming a Christian, Judge Ansarullah Mawlavezada told Associated Press. The accused was charged with rejecting Islam. During the one-day hearing on Thursday, the defendant allegedly confessed to converting to Christianity 16 years ago while working as a medical aid worker for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, Judge Mawlavezada said. Source: [The Guardian]
What’s really disturbing about all this, in my opinion, is that this is happening in the supposedly post-Taliban era. It is no secret that those that covert to Christianity in the Arab and the Muslim world get harassed, but to be threatened with death is really horrendous.
Sadly enough, Jordan is another country where converts to Christianity will not only be ostracized, but will be also harassed by the authorities. To be fair, anyone changing religion in Jordan, whether from Islam to Christianity or vise versa, faces social ostracization. The difference, though, is that in the case of converting to Christianity one can expect to spend some time behind bars as was the case with a Jordanian couple I blogged about last year.
Ask Samer and Abeer. Last September Jordanian security police connected to the country’s Mukhabarat, or intelligence agency, showed up at the couple’s home unannounced. They arrested Samer and detained him overnight. Samer’s crime: coming to faith in Jesus Christ 14 years ago. Originally a Muslim, Samer over the years since his conversion has been questioned several times by security police but never detained. This time, the police turned him over to the Islamic courts. The judges convicted Samer of apostasy. In a Nov. 23 decision the court decreed that his identification papers must be changed from "Muslim" to "no religion;" that he had forfeited any inheritance; that his marriage to Abeer is now illegal and therefore he is not entitled to custody of his son.
The US State Department 2005 report on religious freedom in Jordan also mentions this issue :
Members of unrecognized religious groups and converts from Islam face legal discrimination and bureaucratic difficulties in personal status cases. Converts from Islam additionally risk the loss of civil rights. There is no statute that expressly forbids proselytizing Muslims. However, Shari’a courts have the authority to prosecute proselytizers.
I’m fully aware that this topic is very controversial so I’m not going to say much besides reiterating what I said last year: In my humble, unbiased opinion I think that if Jordan intends to tread on a truly democratic path, then its citizens should be given the basic right of practicing a religion of their own choosing.
I think the real issue is that Islam is considered by muslims as “way of life” and above all things on this earth. Other religions are a set of beliefs which one can adhere to if one wishes. This fundamental difference is causing havoc. Staunch muslims cannot comprehend why on earth should there be another “path” to God when Islam already exists.
The concepts like democracy, freedom of speech and individuality, secularism etc are alien to Islam. These things, they say, defeat the very purpose of Islam.
I think Islam should make fundamental changes to interpretations somewhere and this will enable it to coexist peacefully with the rest of the cultures and accept other belief systems.
One more thing Kevin, a t-shirt that said “the wrong thing”? I think you need to decide are there lines that should be drawn when it comes to democracy, and if so where should they be drawn? I thought democracy at best is when you can tell your leaders you don’t agree with their actions that are harming the whole nation if not the whole world?
I hope I’m not saying “the wrong thing”
Cheers, Fadi
Kevin
You are misunderstanding what I meant by saying that the views in the West are no better than the views in the East.
I agree that there is more democracy in the West. I did not claim that there is democracy in the Middle East. There is very little. However, it is a shame when people are opressed for their views in Western countries that claim to be democratic. It is a shame when my house is wire tapped because of my ethnic background in a Western country. It is a shame when I’m stopped by a pliceman on my way to the bank because of the way I look. I can go on and on. But I don’t think I need to.
To directly answer what you are trying to say Kevin, is there more democracy in the west? Yes for sure, no one is denying that. But is there just as much hatered in Western countries as Eastern countries, you can be damn sure there is.
When the President of the strongest country in the world goes to war and invades a whole nation because he claims “God told him so”, what do you consider that? Isn’t that being fanatic?
Anyway, I’m not trying to aruge who has more democracy East or West. However, I take it you are American, and having spent the majority of my life in the US, I can assure that the level of freedom you get in the US is dependant on your race, ethincity etc… You may choose to disagree but I’ve exprienced it first hand. I had expriences ranging from job discrimination to being unwelcomed at a public place such as a restaurante etc…
So I’m sorry if you misunderstood my point, however, my point again is not East vs. West in terms of who has more democracy, but trust me when I say life in the West is not as great as you think it is.
Cheers
Fadi
I find the view expressed by Fadi that things are ‘not any better’ in the West odd to say the least.
A search on Amazon for ‘lies Bush’ retrieves several titles. The best known of which, is, I believe, ‘The Lies of George W. Bush.’ When it is possible in the Middle East to publish a book with the title ‘The Lies of (select the name of any Arab leader/president/king),’ or when the author and publisher of the above mentioned work are arrested, thrown into jail, tortured etc.,
THEN say that things are no better in the West.
When in the Middle East works of islamic and Christian apologetics as well as Bertrand Russell’s ‘Why I am not a Christian’ and Ibn Warraq’s ‘Why I am not a Muslim’ are all equally freely available with no one needing fear for his life for saying the ‘wrong thing’ THEN say that things are ‘not any better’ in the West.
I could make similar points about literature.
That an overzealous policeman or police action resulted in someone being arrested for wearing a t-shirt which said ‘the wrong thing’ (in the vicinity of a function where Bush was appearing? – what was the charge? – what was the sentence handed down?) does not prove anything.
There is a difference and it is a considerable one.
MUNA, I don’t know if you will be back, but…
I know Jordanian Christians who faced the ostracization of their families for becoming Muslims. My neighbors in Hashmi considered killing a daughter who married her Muslim lover, but knew they wouldnt’ get away with an ‘honor killing’ sentence, it would be treated the same as any other murder.
I myself was disinherited when I converted to Christianity (from secular American materialism, not Islam). Do you think Jordanian Christian families are just going to sit back and say “ok”? Do you think they should?
My point is: Christians who convert to Islam are not forced to divorce, denied their rights as parents or legal rights as adults by edict of their nation.
ABU SINAN, foreign involvement/coersion isn’t what has made the Muslims I ran into choose to follow another faith. Imagine, they investigated on their own, had a vision, or were fed up with the faith they were born into probably not unlike you when you converted to Islam. The reason this is a big issue, and will become bigger, is there are precedents being set in the power workings because there ARE so many of these kind of folks in Jordan. From what I have heard, there are Muslims in every church in Amman. People fear what is happening in Algeria will happen here, and are taking steps to prevent it.
Hareega
If you don’t find your comment offensive, I suggest you take another look at it. And thats the whole point, a Christian should feel comfortable walking down the street in Zraq or in Amman or where ever in Jordan wearing a cross without having to feel threatened. No I don’t live in Jordan anymore, I do frequently go to Jordan and I never had a problem saying I’m Christian anywhere in Jordan.
You made a good point that society needs to change, but how does society change if people don’t start chanign, all it takes is one person, one incident to change the status quo.
Shukri, was the message you posted a joke or were you serious? I can’t possibly see how you could blame this on the Jews or the Zionists. Don’t get me wrong, there are many things that the Zionists can be blamed for but this, come on, this is only blamed on the pure ignorance.
Cheers
Fadi
Jen and Fadi and JAck and Gorm ….
What we are discussing is not whether or not someone should be allowed to convert. Religion is a personal thing and I strongly believe that it’s a personal matter.
What we’re disucssing is the laws governing that. We don’t live in a perfect world , and Jordan is for sure not a perfect world. Conversion is an extremely sensitive issue even for Muslims who almost don’t practise their religion. I believe that the society needs to change before we can come up with laws by which a Muslim can declare in public that he is leaving Islam.
There are a lot of Muslims who are agonists or athiests but they don’t dare declare that in public. Even if the law allowed them to convert or clearly state their faith I don’t think they will.
Fadi man i read my comment again and i don’t know what is offensive in it? Man do you live in Jordan?? Do you think if somoen in Zarqa for example converted to Chrisitianity would people be Ok with it? Can he walk safely in the street wearing a cross for example?
I think all of this is just promoting and creating more and more divisions inside the Arab nation. We are always thinking about the Jordanians against the Palestinians against the Egyptians againt the Iraqis etc. We have to realize that all of this is trivial and get back to our roots…lets blame it on Zionists and Jews. Seriously. A muslim converts to christianity, so the jews obviously paid him to sow divisions in the Ummah and make Muslims look bad when we chop his head off. Just trying to make the world forget our long, wonderful and peaceful history.
And comparing contemporary fanatical Islam to the fanatical Christianity of the 13 century is not a good idea, considering they are 700 years apart and the West has dealt with their fanatics.
The Muslims believe that apostasy is treason since they consider Islam to be, not a religion, but a “complete way of life” (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy_in_Islam#Reasons_for_the_death_penalty). Hence, they elected the rulers in Afghanistan and they are enforcing their own law(or their interpretation of it). Isn’t this Democracy after all (“government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system”)?
Or are all our words a pretty farce and we, instead, are only interested in subjugating the world upon Western liberalistic ideals?
Gorm
Your comment shows a lack of understanding of Eastern cultures, not only Muslim countries but Eastern cultures in general. You have to be sensative to people’s views. I’m all about expressing your own views, however, you should do so with taking others feelings into consideration.
Of course in the West its not any better, even though people try to say it is. The way I look at it and I will speak mostly for the US and the UK, since I lived in those 2 countries. You are free to say what you want as long as its the “right” thing to say. Remember the guy that was wearing an anti-war T-shirt and was arrested in the US, where is the freedom of expression or freedom of speech in that. Need I give more examples, because I sure can including some that I’ve experienced myself.
I think Islam can and does exist in modern societies. I think fanatic Islam just like fanatic Christianity has no place in Western or Eastern culture.
Cheers
Fadi