2 Afghans face death over translation of Quran
KABUL – No one knows who brought the book to the mosque, or at least no one dares say.
The pocket-size translation of the Quran has already landed six men in prison in Afghanistan and left two of them begging judges to spare their lives. They´re accused of modifying the Quran and their fate could be decided Sunday in court.
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It was a translation of the Quran into one of Afghanistan´s languages, with a note giving permission to reprint the text as long as it was distributed for free.
Some of the men of the mosque said the book would be useful to Afghans who didn´t know Arabic, so they took up a collection for printing.
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Many clerics rejected the book because it did not include the original Arabic verses alongside the translation. It´s a particularly sensitive detail for Muslims, who regard the Arabic Quran as words given directly by God. A translation is not considered a Quran itself, and a mistranslation could warp God´s word.
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"In all the mosques in Afghanistan, all the mullahs said, ´Zalmai is an infidel. He should be killed,´" Zalmai recounted as he sat outside the chief judge´s chambers waiting for a recent hearing.
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There is no law in Afghanistan prohibiting the translation of the Quran. But Zalmai is accused of violating Islamic Shariah law by modifying the Quran.
And Afghanistan´s court system appears to be stacked against those accused of religious crimes. Judges don´t want to seem soft on potential heretics and lawyers don´t want to be seen defending them ...
The prosecutor wants the death penalty for Zalmai and the cleric, who have now spent more than a year in prison.
Sentences on religious infractions can be harsh. In January 2008, a court sentenced a journalism student to death for blasphemy for asking questions about women´s rights under Islam. An appeals court reduced the sentence to 20 years in prison. His lawyers appealed again and the case is pending.
In 2006, an Afghan man was sentenced to death for converting to Christianity. He was later ruled insane and was given asylum in Italy. Islamic leaders and the parliament accused President Hamid Karzai of being a puppet for the West for letting him live.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090206/ap_on_re_as/as_afghan_translation_on_trial
What a f* up world we live in.
