Victory in Abdul Rahman Case

I am happy to report that all charges against Abdul Rahman, the Afghan Christian who was charged with the crime of converting from Islam have been dropped.  In fact, Mr. Rahman has been taken to Italy in order to be protected.  Drew Ryan of our Governmental Affairs staff met yesterday with members of the White House team concerning this issue.  Reports are already coming out of Afghanistan that there are at least three other Christians who have been arrested and charged with the crime of converting from Islam.  This crime carries with it the death penalty.  Our Governmental Affairs office in Washington, DC, is working to ensure that Christians are protected in their ability to practice their faith.  As we pointed out in our legal memo, the Afghan Constitution specifically incorporated the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights, which includes the ability to change ones religion without repercussion.   Our European Center for Law & Justice has also been working on this important issue. 

We have also filed our amicus brief on behalf of 47 members of Congress in support of the federal governments request to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of our national motto, In God We Trust.  We believe the court should dismiss this lawsuit which has no basis in fact and represents another flawed attempt to use the legal system to remove a legitimate reference to the religious heritage of our nation.  Our nations history is replete with examples of acknowledgment of religious belief in the public sector, and the Supreme Court has repeatedly referenced the national motto as a legitimate expression of our religious heritage.  Its clear that the national motto is not only permissible, but constitutional as well; and were hopeful that the federal district court will dismiss this frivolous lawsuit.