NYPost

TALIBAN IN REAL TROUBLE: REV. AL WANTS TO VISIT

By FRANKIE EDOZIEN

November 2, 2001 -- Fresh from his recent jaunt to Israel, the Rev. Al Sharpton is moving ahead with plans to fly into Afghanistan to visit the eight jailed Western charity workers charged by the Taliban with attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity.

Sharpton met with officials of the Pakistani consulate in New York yesterday to ask them to take his request for an entry visa to Taliban officials in Kabul, the Afghan capital.

"I'm requesting to have a delegation of clergy to go with me to have a clergy visit to the eight Christians being held in Afghanistan for practicing the faith of Christianity. It is my judgment that there has been a lack of attention to their continued incarceration," Sharpton said.

The jailed members of Shelter Now International, a German-based relief organization, were arrested Aug. 8 and charged by the Taliban with spreading Christianity. Two American women are among the group, and 16 Afghans also were arrested.

Although their trial ended last month, they have been awaiting a decision on their fate. Under strict Taliban law, foreign detainees could be imprisoned or expelled if convicted, while Afghans could be hanged.

Sharpton said he was confident he would be allowed to make a jailhouse visit to the group because it was based on their spiritual needs and the fact he had shown good faith in going to Israel and shining light on the calls for Palestinian statehood.

"I think that it will be significant that they were concerned about a Palestinian state, and I just met with the head of the Palestinian [Authority, Yasser Arafat]. Why would they then reject our wanting to make a trip to show brothers of the faith some type of spiritual reconciliation?" he asked.

"They can't on one level ask the world to deal with the Palestinian question, and then on another level say, even if you deal with it, we're going to treat everyone as enemies."

Sharpton said his proposed trip was not comparable to a similar effort made by the Rev. Jesse Jackson that was discouraged by the State Department.

-- Anonymous, November 02, 2001

Answers

someone here to see you .........Al Sharpton. ACK!!!

-- Anonymous, November 02, 2001