A Christian Convert, on the Run in Afghanistan

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Azam Ahmed

A LONESOME PIETY A former Muslim prayed somewhere near Kabul, Afghanistan,
in hiding from relatives who want to kill him for forsaking Islam and converting to Christianity.

AFGHANISTAN---In a dank basement on the outskirts of Kabul, Josef read his worn blue Bible by the light of a propane lantern, as he had done for weeks since he fled from his family in Pakistan. The documents are the reason he is hiding for his life. On paper, Afghan law protects freedom of religion, but the reality here and in some other Muslim countries is that renouncing Islam is a capital offense. For Josef, 32, who asked to be identified only by his Christian name to protect his wife and young child, the path to Christianity was only one segment on a much longer journey, a year of wandering that took him through Turkey, Greece, Italy and Germany, seeking refuge from Afghanistan’s violence. [link]