REP. ANDREWS CALLS FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN AFGHANISTAN

I have called upon Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to urge the Government of Afghanistan to ensure the safety of Abdul Rahman, who faced a penalty of death because he converted from Islam to Christianity.  Our forefathers escaped similar persecution; religious tolerance remains one of America's bedrock principles.

Newly liberated Afghanistan holds its own beliefs and should not mimic the U.S.  They must, however, uphold their own constitution and international law which guarantees freedom of worship.  Islamic beliefs should not be used to support a culture of intolerance whereby a person must forfeit the way he worships or forfeit his life.

I have cosponsored Congressional Resolution H.RES.736 which condemns the enforcement of laws against apostasy.  We must continue to work with our Afghan friends to expand religious freedoms while respecting Islam.  While great challenges still exist for this fledgling government in the struggle to balance individuals' rights with the teachings of Islam, I am heartened by the release of Mr. Rahman.  I ask that President Hamid Karzai continue to uphold Afghanistan's human rights obligations so that no Afghan is deprived of their fundamental right of religious freedom in the future. 

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