http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/03/21/afghan.christian/index.html
The United States and other Western nations are protesting to the Afghan government over the case of an Afghan man being prosecuted for converting from Islam to Christianity. Abdul Rahman was arrested last week and is now awaiting trial. He could face the death penalty.
In the days of the Taliban, those promoting Christianity in Afghanistan could be arrested and those converting from Islam could be tortured and publicly executed.
That was supposed to change after U.S.-led forces ousted the oppressive, fundamentalist regime, but the case of 41-year-old Abdul Rahman has many Western nations wondering if Afghanistan is regressing.
Rahman, a father of two, was arrested last week and is now awaiting trial for rejecting Islam. He told local police, whom he approached on an unrelated matter, that he had converted to Christianity. Reports say he was carrying a Bible at the time.
"They want to sentence me to death, and I accept it," Rahman told reporters last week, "but I am not a deserter and not an infidel."
The Afghan constitution, which is based on Sharia, or Islamic law, says that apostates can receive the death penalty. ( Watch how Rahman's case could cast doubts on Afghanistan's commitment to democracy -- 1:17 )
Afghanistan's population is 80 percent Sunni Muslim and 19 percent Shiite Muslim, according to the CIA. The other 1 percent of the population is classified as "other."