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| Posted: 04 May 2009 16:16 | ||
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Administrator Currently Offline |
Posts: 563 Join Date: Dec 2008 |
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A former Afghan prime minister has called for an inquiry after Al Jazeera broadcast footage showing Christian US soldiers appearing to be preparing to try and convert Muslims in Afghanistan. Ahmed Shah Ahmedzai said there must be a "serious investigation" after military chaplains stationed in the US air base at Bagram near Kabul were filmed discussing how to distribute bibles printed in the country's main Pashto and Dari languages.
In one recorded sermon, Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley, the chief of the US military chaplains in Afghanistan, tells soldiers that, as followers of Jesus Christ, they all have a responsibility "to be witnesses for him". "The special forces guys - they hunt men basically. We do the same things as Christians, we hunt people for Jesus. We do, we hunt them down," he says. "Get the hound of heaven after them, so we get them into the kingdom. That's what we do, that's our business." 'Very damaging' Under the US military code of conduct, armed forces on active duty are prohibited from trying to convert a person's faith. Ahmed Shah Ahmedzai told Al Jazeera from Kabul on Monday: "This is a complete deviation from what they [the US military] are supposed to be doing. "I don't think even the US constitution would allow what they are doing ... it is completely against all regulations. "This is very damaging for diplomatic relations between the two counties ... everyone knows people are very conservative here, very faithful to Islam. They will never accept any other religion. "Someone who leaves Islam is sentenced very severely - the death penalty [is imposed]. "There must be a serious investigation now that it has come out into the public and [into the] press," he said. Sayed Aalam Uddin Asser, of the Islamic Front for Peace and Understanding in Kabul, told Al Jazeera: "It's a national security issue ... our constitution says nothing can take place in Afghanistan against Islam. "If people come and propaganda other religions which have no followers in Afghanistan [then] it creates problems for the people, for peace, for stability. |
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