Abdul Rahman’s dramatic escape from the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity has focused attention on the Christian community in Afghanistan.  Spiegel Online takes a fascinating look at life in what most Afghans regard as an illicit and subversive group.  Although the country’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion, the hard truth is that this right simply does not exist.

Hashim Kabar (not his real name), a 36-year old Afghan Christian, says that Muslims and Christians co-existed peacefully until the Taliban came to power in the mid-1990s.  A campaign of terror and destruction aimed at rooting out Christianity was instituted, and Mr Kabar says the situation is little better even now that the Taliban has been routed.  The result is a miniscule Christian population that Mr Kabar estimates at between 1,000 and 2,000 in a country of nearly 20 million.  (Another recent estimate of 10,000 Christians “seems exaggerated”.)

The persecution and the constant danger have turned the community of Afghan converts into a closely knit underground organization. Ironically, the oppression has strengthened the faith of many.
. . .
Even though Afghanistan has dismissed its case against Abdul Rahman, this is a cold comfort for Kabar. He and his friends fear that anger among Islamists over Rahman's release could spur them to take matters into their hands and act even more brutally toward converts. "Abdul Rahman's release is a good thing," he says. "But the international community needs to keep its eyes open."

According to Kabar, the worst thing would be if the resolution of the case leaves the impression that everything is now OK for converts living in Afghanistan. If that happens, he says, the case would have done more harm than good. "We are going to stand by our faith," he adds on parting. "Any kind of support would help us a lot."

Amen to that.

Read the whole thing.

via Allahpundit guest-blogging at Michelle Malkin.

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