Received from a reader working in the Canadian government…Conservative Canadian PM Stephen Harper cared enough to pick up the phone:

Statement by the Prime Minister on the Raham case and freedom of religion in
Afghanistan

March 22, 2006
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement after the
conclusion of his telephone call to Afghanistan President Karzai.

“I called President Karzai today to express my deep concerns regarding the
Raham case and the issue of freedom of religion in Afghanistan.

President Karzai listened to my concerns and we had a productive and
informative exchange of views.

Upon the conclusion of the call, he assured me that respect for human and
religious rights will be fully upheld in this case.”

CTV adds:

The United Church of Canada is suggesting Ottawa use its position in Afghanistan — with 2,200 troops in the country’s south as part of a Canadian-led multinational brigade — to promote human rights.

These rights include “the rights of Afghans to choose and change religion without fear of losing their lives,” the letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said.

“We sent the letter yesterday and as of yet have not had a response,” the United Church’s Richard Chambers told CTV Newsnet on Wednesday.

Ed Morrissey:

Harper has proven himself more nimble at international politics than the White House this week. This case provides a clear example of the difficulties in bringing democracy as a guarantor of human rights to the ummah, and it puts the US in the position of criticizing the government it desperately wants to support. Understandably, Washington does not want to give the impression that Karzai lacks our support. It could undermine Karzai and the democratic government we have worked hard to build if we start issuing ultimatums.

However, the same is equally true for Harper, and added to that is Harper’s tenuous political position as the largely untested leader of a minority government in a parliamentary system. Harper has taken on considerable risk in deploying the large contingent of Canadian troops to Afghanistan in support of the Coalition effort, especially given the unease north of the 49th about America’s military efforts there and in Iraq. However, Harper hasn’t let that get in the way of defending the values that matter most to people in the West — freedom of conscience and freedom of faith. If we are not willing to take a stand and defend those, then we have conceded critical territory.

Too bad the White House could not have done the same thing. Instead, it sent a quiet message via an undersecretary, giving the impression that the US has few concerns about freedom in the region. This follows on the heels of the incoherent response to the Prophet Cartoon riots. Again, the US has given a strange, mixed message about the very values we have set out to defend in this war.

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