Abdul Rahman Goes To Italy

Unable to stay in Afghanistan out of fear for his life, Abdul Rahman is going to Italy, where he will be granted amnesty.

The Afghan man who could have received the death penalty for his conversion from Islam to Christianity has left Afghanistan for asylum in Italy, according to the Italian Embassy in Kabul.

Officials there said Abdul Rahman should be arriving in Italy later Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Italy would be happy to grant asylum to Rahman, and the Italian Cabinet approved an amnesty offer.

Kudos to the Italian government for taking the lead on this.

UPDATE:
Rahman has landed in Italy. One has to wonder all that he has left behind, and I also wonder about other Afghan Christians and what they are thinking given their difficult situation.

This episode clearly will take a toll on Karzai, who has to worry about the hardliners running around seeking retribution. And Rahman will not be completely out of the woods either given militant Islamists compulsion to issue fatwas.