Afghans Present Aid Team's Sins, Complete With Theology Lesson

KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 6 — Most foreign ministers do not begin news conferences with religious commentary, but Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil seemed compelled today to explain that the people of Afghanistan have great respect for Jesus Christ. After all, Jesus was not only a man of wisdom, but also someone who "cured lepers" and "brought the dead back to life."

But Jesus was not the greatest of the holy men, Mr. Muttawakil further expounded. That distinction goes to "Muhammad, peace be upon him, in that he was the last prophet."

Such matters of comparative theology are currently a pertinent topic in Afghanistan, for while Jesus may be highly regarded here, Christianity is not — and that has become yet another big source of friction between international relief agencies and the Taliban mullahs who rule one of the world's poorest countries.

The news conference came on the third day of closed-door court proceedings for eight foreign aid workers accused of preaching Christianity, a crime that the Taliban have suggested may bring them the death penalty. Mr. Muttawakil used the news conference to display what he called more evidence of Christian evangelism: confiscated Bibles in local languages, audio tapes and videos.

"O.K., turn it on," said Rehmatullah Hashmi, a foreign ministry official. A television set — itself a forbidden thing — brightened into life. A movie called "Jesus"

appeared, its narrator extolling "the good news of the Virgin Mother and the Savior's birth." Soon, a young Jesus was on screen asking precocious questions of startled rabbis.

"That's enough," said Mr. Hashmi, who tried some levity to accompany the grave accusations. "We have to put it off. Otherwise, we will also be proselytizing."

He then held up various items, including a children's book with Bible lessons on flash cards. "These books say Jesus Christ was the son of God," Mr. Hashmi patiently explained. "We don't believe this. We believe Jesus was a prophet but not the son of God."

The Christian materials were said to have been found in the vacated offices of the United States-based International Assistance Mission, one of two aid groups that were expelled from the country last week. Some 50 employees of the agency, most of them Americans, hurriedly departed, leaving behind their work of feeding the hungry.

Had the "hundreds" of Persian- and Pashto-language Bibles been found earlier, these foreigners might too have been arrested — or that is what the Taliban are declaring publicly. Privately, some officials say the timing was a way to avoid adding to the headache of what to do about the eight Christians already imprisoned since early August.

Those arrested aid workers — two Americans, two Australians and four Germans — were employed by the German-based agency Shelter Now. Sixteen other workers, all Afghans, are also jailed. But court proceedings began only against the foreigners on Tuesday.
"How long the trial will take is not clear, but we are moving along rapidly," said the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Noor Muhammad Saqib.

The case skipped the lower courts, going directly to an assemblage of 22 legal experts and religious scholars. They have been reviewing the evidence, trying to decide how to proceed, Chief Justice Saqib said. Eventually, the matter will be turned over to an even larger group, which will allow the accused to appear and make statements.
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There has been confusion about the possible punishments for preaching Christianity. A recent edict from Mullah Omar would seem to indicate that the penalty for foreigners is 3 to 10 days in prison followed by expulsion.

But today, Mr. Muttawakil, the bespectacled foreign minister, said that this rather light jail term applies only to people accused of the crime. "In this case, there is a difference. This is not just an accusation. There is proof."
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"The Shelter Now people have been preaching for a long time and their tentacles are everywhere," said Mr. Muttawakil, who is considered a moderate voice among the immoderate Taliban. "I cannot say what the parameters of the punishment may be."
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Only three nations recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government, he reminded the group, and the United Nations has imposed economic sanctions, insisting that Afghanistan no longer play host to the accused terrorist Osama bin Laden.
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Afghanistan is in its 4th year of a catastrophic drought and 22nd year of unremitting war. The United Nations and hundreds of relief agencies provide help that now accounts for more than $300 million a year. But these organizations and the Taliban frequently have been at odds over issues steeped in cultural conflicts and mutual distrust.

Today, Mr. Muttawakil announced that a new commission had been formed to supervise the activities of the United Nations and the relief agencies, the so-called nongovernmental organizations or NGO's. Strict rules, overlooked in the past, would be enforced, he said. Taliban approval would be required for the hiring of staff workers. Money would have to be channeled through the Afghanistan National Bank.

"We have been relaxed, but now the NGO's will be made to obey the laws," he said.

The gathering had taken on a hostile air. The foreign minister seemed to realize this and returned to the more ecumenical tone of his religious commentary.

He said, "We will end this conference by saying, praise be to Jesus Christ, who will eventually come as a Muslim and will follow the teachings of Islam."
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