What other papers are saying
By Staff
Some can't enjoy our basic freedom
A 41-year-old Afghan man facing the death penalty for abandoning Islam for Christianity was freed from prison this week.
Abdul Rahman was released from Policharki Prison on the outskirts of Kabul after charges of apostasy against him were dropped for lack of evidence and suspected mental illness.
Rahman went into hiding in the capital city after Muslim clerics threatened to kill him. He received asylum in Italy Wednesday, despite requests by lawmakers in Afghanistan that he be barred from fleeing the conservative Muslim country.
Abdul Rahman arrived in Rome days after he was freed from a high-security prison on the outskirts of Kabul after a court dropped charges of apostasy against him for lack of evidence and suspected mental illness.
Yes, you read that correctly. He was jailed and persecuted by his mother country for his religious beliefs.
Any American citizen who hears that story should be thankful for the freedom of religion we have in this country. It is one of the many freedoms our country was built upon and one of the many blessings we often take for granted as Americans.
With so many variation of religious beliefs, it is a testament for what our forefathers fought for that we enjoy total religious freedom from our government.
Religious views cross in the U.S. among individuals from time to time but rarely escalate past your basic agreement to disagree.
You rarely hear of any legally recognized religious practice being frowned upon in the U.S. In fact, anything short of any form of human or animal sacrifice is tolerated in most any American society and is protected by our laws.
The Revolutionary war was fought for a myriad of reasons but the freedom of religion was at its core.
It's heartwarming to see that nearly 230 years later, the bloodshed on those battlefields was not in vain. To be truthful, our religious freedoms have become increasingly protected over the years.
Of all the freedoms we enjoy, freedom of religion should be our most cherished.
