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WASHINGTON — The Bush administration issued a subdued appeal Tuesday to Afghanistan to permit a Christian convert on trial for his life to practice his faith in the predominantly Muslim country.

The State Department, however, did not urge the U.S. ally in the war against terrorism to terminate the trial. Officials said the Bush administration did not want to interfere with Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
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The Bush administration went to war four years ago, ousting the Taliban rulers in Afghanistan, and then joined with other countries to help steer the nation to constitutional rule. About 18,000 U.S. troops are on duty there, and more than 200 have died.

“Our government is a great supporter of freedom of religion,” Burns said. “As the Afghan constitution affords freedom of religion to all Afghan citizens, we hope very much that those rights, the right of freedom of religion, will be upheld in an Afghan court.”
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He was questioned, “Do you confess that you have apostacized from Islam?”

He responded, “No, I am not an apostate, I believe in God.”

Question: “Do you believe in the Koran?”

Response: “I believe in the Injil (New Testament) and love Jesus Christ.
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Afghanistan’s human rights record remained poor due to weak central institutions, a deadly insurgency, and the country’s ongoing recovery from two decades of war. While the government struggled to expand its authority over provincial centers, a few areas remained under the control of regional commanders. There continued to be instances in which security and factional forces committed extrajudicial killings and torture. Extensive reporting of human rights abuses led to increased action against abusers. The following human rights problems were reported:

* extrajudicial killings
* torture
* poor prison conditions
* official impunity
* prolonged pretrial detention
* abuse of authority by regional commanders
* restrictions on freedoms of press, religion, movement, and association
* violence and societal discrimination against women and minorities
* trafficking in persons
* abuse of worker rights
* child labor
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The law provides for freedom of speech and of the press; however, there were instances of governmental intimidation of journalists to influence their reporting. The law prohibits information that “could mean insult to the sacred religion of Islam and other religions.” The ambiguity over what was consideredoffensive material offered the potential for restricted press freedom.
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On December 21, authorities released journalist Ali Mohaqiq Nasab from jail with a suspended six-month sentence. On October 1, police arrested Nasab and on October 22, convicted him for publishing un-Islamic materials, specifically for describing the harsh punishments imposed on individuals accused of adultery and theft, as well as the right of Muslims to convert to other religions (see section 2.c.).
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c. Freedom of Religion

The law proclaims that Islam is the “religion of the state,” but provides non-Muslim citizens the freedom to perform their rituals within the limits determined by laws for public decency and peace, although there was harassment of foreign missionaries and others. The law also declares that no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of Islam. The government required all citizens to profess a religious affiliation.
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Public school curricula included religious subjects, and religious leaders conducted detailed religious study. Non-Muslims were not required to study Islam, and there was no restriction on parental religious teaching.
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There were no known foreign missionaries or other non-Islamicreligiously oriented organizations in the country. Conversion from Islam is punishable by death.
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