Sentenced to death: Afghan who dared to read about women's rights

[donheld]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/sentenced-to-death-afghan-who-dared-to-read-about-womens-rights-775972.html

By Kim Sengupta
Thursday, 31 January 2008

A young man, a student of journalism, is sentenced to death by an Islamic court for downloading a report from the internet. The sentence is then upheld by the country's rulers. This is Afghanistan – not in Taliban times but six years after "liberation" and under the democratic rule of the West's ally Hamid Karzai.

The fate of Sayed Pervez Kambaksh has led to domestic and international protests, and deepening concern about erosion of civil liberties in Afghanistan. He was accused of blasphemy after he downloaded a report from a Farsi website which stated that Muslim fundamentalists who claimed the Koran justified the oppression of women had misrepresented the views of the prophet Mohamed.

Mr Kambaksh, 23, distributed the tract to fellow students and teachers at Balkh University with the aim, he said, of provoking a debate on the matter. But a complaint was made against him and he was arrested, tried by religious judges without – say his friends and family – being allowed legal representation and sentenced to death.

The Independent is launching a campaign today to secure justice for Mr Kambaksh. The UN, human rights groups, journalists' organisations and Western diplomats have urged Mr Karzai's government to intervene and free him. But the Afghan Senate passed a motion yesterday confirming the death sentence.

[donheld]

1. The Petition -- Please sign

The link is right under the Man's picture.

[mac2]

2. Is death for demanding rights for women a democratic

stepping stone? Or is the stoning of women next?

[Echo In Light]

3. Really stop and consider the combo of ignorance and evil that fuels this mindset

[DCKit]

14. Is there any difference in the ultimate goals of fundamentalists of ANY religious persuasion?

The American Taliban has been pushing for a fundamentalist, Xtian government and courts since Regan and the RNC invited them into the party and gave them some political clout.

Once you've peeled away the layers of religious rhetoric, the single aim of any and every single one of these fundy groups has nothing to do with religion and EVERYTHING to do with power.

Fundamentalists, regardless of their (stated) religious or secular beliefs, are no different; the ultimate goal is control, power and personal enrichment. Xtian, Islamic, Jewish and Nationalist fundamentalist groups each threaten world peace in the exact same way. There is no limit to their ambition and no act to henious to achieve their goals.

[Spacemom]

4. K&R

Freedom on the March. :sarcasm:

[ThomCat]

5. Kick and Recommend.

And please sign the petition.

[Squatch]

6. Clerics welcome Afghan reporter’s death sentence

JALALABAD - A group of Afghanistan’s Islamic clerics welcomed Saturday a court’s decision to sentence a reporter accused of blasphemy to death.

A primary court in the northern province of Balkh on Tuesday sentenced Perwiz Kambakhsh, 23, to death for distributing articles downloaded from the Internet that were said to question the Holy Koran.

“We welcome the court’s decision,” Asadullah Sajid, one of the top leaders of an Islamic council of religious clerics in the eastern province of Nangarhar, told AFP.

Sajid, who was reading a statement issued by the clerics after their meeting, said, “we strongly demand the international community avoid interfering in Afghanistan courts’ decisions.”

Link

[Marrah_G]

7. Barbaric - truly barbaric

I feel incredibly sad for anyone born into that oppressive culture, especially the women.

[LeftinOH]

8. In hindsight, maybe the Afghans were better off under the Soviets...n/t

[mac2]

9. The women certainly were

Soviets don't support the religiously insane clerics either. Religion has destroyed more than one life. Reagan brought them to power to defeat the Russians.

President Bush promised he wouldn't abandon the women of Afghanistan. He lied.

[paganlib]

10. I signed the petition.

[applegrove]

11. How terrible.

[sakabatou]

12. K+R

This needs to be read bout.

[donheld]

13. Thanks for the kicks. Please sign the petition