The president of the German Bishops Conference, card. Karl Lehmann, made a statament to comment the trial against Adbul Rahman, the Afghan who was sentenced to death because he was converted to Christianity. “The trial against Rahman is an alarming sign of the state in which the respect of the freedom of religion is in Afghanistan”, stated the cardinal. “Everyone has the right to freely choose and live one’s religion. Freedom of religion is a universally-recognised human right”, he added. “No state has the right to influence, prevent or even punish people’s personal decisions about their religion. Instead, it has a duty to create the conditions to guarantee freedom of religion and a respectful mutual relationship”. “This stated the cardinal is the prerequisite for peaceful cohabitation in any society. Freedom of religion also implies the possibility of joining a different religious community. The German Bishops Conference asks that Christians in Afghanistan be free to publicly practise their religion and that conversion to Christianity may be possible with no discrimination. The German bishops pledge to do all they can, so that the rights enjoyed by Muslims in our country will be granted to the Christians who live in countries of Islamic religion as well. We appeal to the people responsible in Afghan, asking them to respect religious freedom and dissociate themselves from the conviction of Abdul Rahman. We urge the German Federal Government to keep working to protect Abdul Rahman’s life and freedom”.
