Political Quotes

“in the past week, the world has witnessed the arrest, the imprisonment, the threatened execution, and eventually the release of a man in Afghanistan named Abdul Rahman. His so-called crime? Apostasy. He was threatened with capital punishment because 16 years ago, while working on a humanitarian mission in Pakistan, he converted to Christianity. Abdul Rahman has thankfully been released, and charges against him have been dropped. However, religious freedom remains in jeopardy in Afghanistan as do those who might choose to practice it. I have great respect for President Karzai and the state he is trying to build. I respect the right of Afghanistan to its own laws and legal system. But it will be a great tragedy if the overthrow of the Taliban government results in its replacement by a state that professes democracy but falls so far short of such an essential democratic standard: the freedom of belief. We have over 22,000 troops in Afghanistan. Two hundred and eighty-two Americans have given their lives in that country since Operation Enduring Freedom began. Freedom must, by definition, include freedom of religion, It is our responsibility to make that utterly clear. As President Bush has stated, ``We expect [the government of Afghanistan] to honor the universal principle of freedom.…”