Afghan convert Abdul Rahman arrives in Rome after being granted asylum in Italy

(March 30, 2006) : Forty one year-old Afghan Abdul Rahman, the Christian convert, whose trial on charges of apostasy from Islam had created an international furore, arrived in Rome late Wednesday, where he has been granted asylum. The Italian government granted his request, with a unanimous vote at a March 29 cabinet meeting. Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi was quoted saying, “I say that we are very glad to be able to welcome someone who has been so courageous.” Applications for political asylum in Italy normally take months to process, but Mr Berlusconi and several colleagues had said previously they favoured a quick decision in Mr Rahman's favour. In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Mr Rahman said: "I have done nothing to repent, I respect Afghan law as I respect Islam. But I chose to become a Christian, for myself, for my soul. It is not an offence." Rahman, who was born in Afghanistan and raised as a Muslim, converted to Christianity while living in Germany. When he returned to Afghanistan, he was arrested and accused of apostasy, for which the penalty is execution. Under heavy international pressure, Afghanistan's political leaders ordered that the charges against Rahman be dropped, on the grounds that he was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. Islamic leaders have protested that verdict, and Rahman's life was believed to be in danger if he remained in the country.