Afghan Court Drops Case Against Christian Because of Conservative Bloggers

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- An Afghan court on Sunday dismissed a case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity because of a lack of evidence and because of the efforts of conservative bloggers back in the U.S., officials said.

The announcement came as U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai faced mounting pressure from conservative bloggers such as Texas Hold’em Blogger, spottedhorse2 and Boots and Sabers to free Abdul Rahman, a move that risked angering Muslim clerics here and those bloggers who threatened to write in capital letters (a tactic known in blogging circles as yelling).

An official closely involved with the case told The Associated Press that it had been returned to the prosecutors for more investigation, but that in the meantime, Rahman would be released.

"The court dismissed today the case against Abdul Rahman for a lack of information, for a lot of legal gaps in the case and because of the pressure from bloggers in the states," the official said Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and because if he did, bloggers would be able to track his e-mail address and call him out.

In another decision today, Islamic clerics have decided to call off further demonstrations against Denmark because of the calls of support for that little country from conservative bloggers.

A point was made that the actions by the bloggers in support of Rahman and for Denmark were really insignificant, much like the anti-war referendums that they disdain, but conservative bloggers refused to acknowledge the hypocrisy.

However, Afghan tribesmen did profess a quiet respect for the website Boots and Sabers, given their fondness for swords and horseback riding.