2A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, March 20, 2006 NATION/WORLD Afghan man prosecuted for converting 0 Man could be sentenced to death for changing from Islam to Christianity KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - An Afghan man is being prosecuted in a Kabul court and could be sentenced to death on a charge of converting from Islam to Christianity, a crime under this country's Islamic laws, a judge said yesterday. The trial is believed to be the first of its kind in Afghanistan and highlights a struggle between reli- gious conservatives and reformists over what shape Islam should take here four years after the ouster of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban years in Pakistan, Rahman moved to Germany for nine years, his father, Abdul Manan, said outside his Kabul home. Rahman returned to Afghanistan in 2002 and tried to gain custody of his two daughters, now aged 13 and 14, who had been living with their grandparents their whole lives, the father said. A custody battle ensued and the matter was taken to the police. During questioning, it emerged that Rahman was a Christian and was carrying a Bible. He was imme- diately arrested and charged, the father said. Afghanistan is a conservative Islamic country. Some 99 percent of its 28 million people are Mus- lim, and the remainder are mainly regime. The Hindu. defen- dant, 41-yer-old Abdul Rahman, was arrested last month after his family accused him of becom- ing a Christian, Judge Ansarullah Mawlavezada told The Associated Press in an inter- view. Rahman was charged with rejecting Islam and his trial start- ed Thursday. During the one-day hearing, "We are not against any particular religion in the world. But in Afghanistan, this sort of thing is against the law. It is an attack on Islam." - Ansarullah Mawlavezada A Christian aid worker in Kabul, who spoke on condi- tion of anonym- ity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said there was no reliable figure for the number of Christians, though it was believed to be only in the doz- ens or low hun- dreds. He said few admit their faith because of n and there are no NEWS IN BRIEF HEADLINES FRO AROUND THE WORLD PARISr Activists, students protest jobs law Police loosed water cannons and tear gas on rioting students and activists rampaged through a McDonald's and attacked store fronts in the capital Saturday as demonstra- tions against a plan to relax job protections spread in a widening arc across France. The protests, which drew 500,000 people in some 160 cities across the country, were the biggest show yet of escalating anger that is testing the strength of the conservative government before elections next year. At the close of a march in Paris that drew a crowd of tens of thousands, seven officers and 17 protesters were injured during two melees, at the Place de la Nation in eastern Paris and the Sorbonne University. Police said they arrested 156 people in the French capital. Four cars were set afire, police said, and a McDonald's restaurant was attacked along with store fronts at the close of the march. Tensions escalated later Saturday as about 500 youths moved on to the Sorbonne, trying to break through tall metal blockades erected after police stormed the Paris landmark a week ago to dislodge occupying students. The university has become a symbol of the protest. MINSK, Belarus Incumbent opens lead in Belarus race Iron-fisted incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was headed to an overwhelming win in yesterday's presidential vote in the former Soviet republic of Belarus, the elections chief said. Thousands of opposition supporters protested the results in the city's main square. The protesters chanted "Long Live Belarus!" and the name of the main opposi- tion candidate, Alexander Milinkevich. Some waved a national flag that Lukash- enko banned in favor of a Soviet-style replacement, while others waved European Union flags. Milinkevich arrived later. The crowd in Oktyabrskaya square hooted when a large video screen broadcast a live statement from the Central Election Commission chief, who hailed the vote as a success with minimal violations. Lidia Yermoshina said Lukashenko won 92.2 percent of the vote in hospitals and military units, where about 1.2 percent of the nation's eligible voters cast ballots. INDIANAPOLIS States look to legislation to reduce dropouts Pressured to boost graduation rates under the federal No Child Left Behind law, school districts nationwide are looking for ways to keep students in the classroom. Many are turning to lawmakers for answers. Indiana this month passed a bill that would allow students under 18 to drop out only for health, financial or legal reasons. New Hampshire's Senate gave prelimi- nary approval to a measure that would raise the age at which students can drop out from 16 to 18. Educators, lawmakers and social service agencies say finding a solution is cru- cial. Studies have found that dropouts are more likely to wind up in prison or on public assistance than those with diplomas. And schools can face sanctions under No Child Left Behind if their graduation rates fall short. RAFAH, Gaza Strip No agreement reached on Gaza border crossing Israel, Palestinian and U.S. negotiators failed yesterday to resolve a border cross- ing crisis that has caused shortages of vital food products in Gaza, but Palestinians were hopeful the main cargo crossings could open after more meetings Monday. Palestinian economic misery was likely to deepen as Hamas militants sworn to Israel's destruction presented their new Cabinet to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The Islamic group's failure to bring moderate forces into its government is likely to strengthen Western resolve to cut off desperately needed aid. American officials called an emergency meeting Sunday with the Palestin- ians and Israelis to try to resolve the border crossing standoff, saying Palestinian humanitarian needs rpust be addressed. - Compiled from Daily wire reports CORRECTIONS Please report any errorin the Daily to correcdt@inichigandaitceb " 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com 0 AP PHOTO A ship passes the New York skyline on Friday. Republicans blocked a Demo- cratic effort last Wednesday to force House votes on expanding government scrutiny of foreign investments, the latest fallout of the failed Dubal ports deal. " . U.S. increasingly foreign- owned Judge ribution the defendant confessed that he con- verted from Islam to Christianity 16 years ago while working as a medi- cal aid worker for an international Christian group helping Afghan ref- ugees in the Pakistani city of Pesha- war, Mawlavezada said. "We are not against any particu- lar religion in the world. But in Afghanistan, this sort of thing is against the law," the judge said. "It is an attack on Islam." Mawlavezada said he would rule on the case within two months. Afghanistan's constitution is based on Shariah law, which is inter- preted by many Muslims to require that any Muslim who rejects Islam be sentenced to death, said Ahmad FahimHakim, deputy chairman of the state-sponsored Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Com- mission. Repeated attempts to interview Rahman in detention were barred. The prosecutor, Abdul Wasi, said he had offered to drop the charges if Rahman converted back to Islam, but he refused. "He would have been forgiven if he changed back. But he said he was a Christian and would always remain one," Wasi told AP. "We are Muslims and becoming a Christian is against our laws. He must get the death penalty." After being an aid worker for four fear of retr known Afghan churches. An old house in a war-wrecked suburb of Kabul serves as a Chris- tian place of worship for expatriates. From the muddy street, the build- ing looks like any other. Its guard, Abdul Wahid, said no Afghans go there. The only other churches are believed to be inside foreign embas- sies or on bases belonging to the U.S.-led coalition or a NATO peace- keeping force. Hakim, the human rights advo- cate, said the case would attract widespread attention in Afghanistan and could be exploited by Muslim conservatives to rally opposition to reformists who are trying to mod- erate how the religion is practiced here. "The reformists are trying to bring about positive changes," he said. "This case could be fertile ground for extremists to manipulate things." Muslim clerics still hold consider- able power in Afghanistan, especial- ly in rural areas where most women wear all-encompassing burqas and are dominated by men. Hakim said that if Rahman was acquitted, it would be a propaganda win for the Taliban rebels, who have stepped up their insurgency in the past year. Fight over control of U.S. ports spurs debate about foreign ownership of America WASHINGTON (AP) - The furor over efforts by an Arab company to buy U.S. port operations has focused attention on a little noticed economic fact of life: America increasingly is foreign-owned. From the ritzy Essex House hotel in Manhattan, owned by the Dubai Invest- ment Group, to the nationwide chains of Caribou Coffee and Church's Chicken, owned by another company serving Arab investors, foreigners are buying bigger and bigger chunks of the country. The U.S. must borrow more than $2 billion per day from foreigners to finance its huge trade deficits. In 2005, for example, there was a record deficit of $805 billion in the current account, the broadest measure of trade. Foreigners sell their televisions, cars and oil to Americans and hold dollars in return. Those dollars are invested in stocks, bonds and other assets, includ- ing real estate and factories. Foreigners already own half of the U.S. government's publicly traded debt. As of January, some $2.19 tril- lion in Treasury securities were in the hands of central banks, includ- ing China and Japan, and private investors abroad. At the end of 2004, the total foreign direct investment in this country - actual factories, office buildings and other tangible assets as opposed to stocks and bonds _ came to $1.53 tril- lion, 8.2 percent more than in 2003. That investment shows up in all of the 50 states. In Oakland, Maine, it's a customer ser- vice center for T-Mobile USA Inc., which is a subsidiary of German-based Deutsche Telekom. In Glendale, Calif., it's the U.S. headquarters for Nestle, the Swiss-based food and beverage company. Arab investment has gotten the most scrutiny of late because of the now-withdrawn bid by a Dubai-based company to buy operations at six major U.S. ports. But statistics show that Arab investments represent only a fraction of the total direct investment in the U.S. by foreigners. European nations accounted for $977 billion, or two-thirds, of the $1.53 trillion of foreign direct invest- ment, according to figures compiled by the Commerce Department. By contrast, Arab countries in the Middle East accounted for $9.3 bil- lion, led by $4.7 billion in investment from Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates was second among Middle East Arab countries with $1.8 billion in investments, according to the data. DP World of Dubai said last week it intends to sell its U.S. operations to an American-owned company. But that has not stopped some members of Congress from seeking to overhaul the way such deals are reviewed by a secretive government panel. DoNN M. FREsARD Editor in Chief fresard@michigandaily.com 647-3336 Sun.-Thurs. 5 p.m. - 2 a.m. JONATHAN DOBBERSTEIN Business Manager business@michigandaily.com 764-0558 Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. DIVESTMENT Continued from page 1 settlement in Palestinian territory. "We should support an inquiry on moral principle. The occupation is wrong, and efforts promoting its end are morally right actions," Philosophy Prof. David Skrbina of UM-Dearborn wrote in the University Record last October. Issue divides student gov'ts When a resolution for a divestment committee came before the Michigan Student Assembly last March, hundreds of students and community members attended the meeting. It had to be moved to a larger ballroom, and then-MSA president Jason Mironov barely man- aged to control the raucous crowd. Mironov gave a passionate anti-divest- ment speech just before the vote. Some present at the meeting believed the speech had a strong impact on the voting. The resolution was voted down. Out of the 40 MSA representatives, 25 voted against the resolution, II voted in favor of it and 4 abstained. One of those abstentions was Michi- gan Progressive Party presidential candi- date Rese Fox. Following the letter to the regents, some pro-Israel students have high- lighted Fox's abstention in expressing concern about another divestment vote if Jen Gonik, a member of the American Movement for Israel, wrote an e-mail to members of the pro-Israel community Saturday urging them to vote for Stu- dents 4 Michigan because the party sup- ports Israel. "Students 4 Michigan has been pro- active in promoting the interests of Pro- Israel students," she wrote. She discouraged students from vot- ing for MPP, citing Fox's abstention and MPP's alleged endorsement of the pro- divestment Defend Affirmative Action Party candidates. But MPP leaders said they have never supported DAAP as a party. "MPP has never endorsed any candi- dates in other parties," MPP chair Jon Koller said in a statement yesterday. "At no time did the party endorse any DAAP candidates." Gonik said she found the endoresements on a blog of MPP representative candidate Travis Radina. MPP said the blog did not represent the party's official endorsements. The post has since been removed. Fox said she abstained last spring not because she supports divestment from Israel, but because she was not educated enough on the topic and her constituency was divided. Neither Fox nor S4M presidential can- didate Nicole Stallings now support MSA taking up the discussion of divestment. "MSA doesn't exist to create rifts at U of M, it exists to support students and CONTACT INFORMATION News Tips Corrections Letters to the Editor Photography Department Arts Section Editorial Page Sports Section Display Sales Classified Sales Online Sales Finance Newsroom: 763-2459 Office hours:Sun.-Thurs.11 a.m. - 2 a.m. news@michigandaily.com corrections@michigandaily.com tothedaily@michigandaily.com photo@michigandaily.com 764-0563 artspage@michigandaily.com 763-0379 opinion@michigandaily.com 763-0379 sports@michigandaily.com 764-8585 display@michigandaily.com 764-0554 classified@michigandaily.com 764-0557 onlineads@michigandaily.com 615-0135 finance@michigandaily.com 763-3246 EDITORIAL STAFF Ashley Dinges Managing Editor dinges@michigandaily.com Karl Stampfl Managing News Editor stampfl@michigandaily.com NEWS EDITORS: Jeremy Davidson, Christina Hildreth, Anne Joling, Anne VanderMey Emily Beam Editorial Page Editor beam@michigandaily.com Christopher Zbrozek Editorial Page Editor zbrozek@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS: Theresa Kennelly, Imran Syed ASSISTANT EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR: David Russell Jack Herman Managing Sports Editor herman@michigandaily.com SENIOR SPORTS EDITORS: Scott Bell, Gabe Edelson, Matt Singer, Kevin Wright, Stephanie Wright SPORTS NIGHT EDITORS: H. Jose Bosch, Dan Bromwich, Mark Giannotto, Ian Robinson, Nate Sandals, Dan Levy Jeffrey Bloomer Managing Arts Editor bloomer@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE ARTS EDITORS: Evan McGarvey, Bernie Nguyen ARTS SUB EDITORS: Aman-da Andrade, Loyd Cargo, itlin Cogan, Andrew Klein, Punit Marto Alex Dziadosz Managing Photo Editor dziadosz@michigandaily.com Mike Hulsebus Managing Photo Editor hulsebus@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITORS: Forest Casey, Trevor Campbell, David Tuman ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS: Shubra Ohri, Peter Schottcnfels Lindsey Ungar Assistant Managing Editor, Design ungar@michigandaily.com ASSISTANT DESIGN EDITOR: Bridget O'Donnell Eston Bond Managing Online Editor eston@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE ONLINE EDITORS: Angela Cesere, Phil Dokas James V. Dowd Magazine Editor dowd@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE MAGAZINE EDITOR: Chris Gaerig BUSINESS STAFF Plhle iwe J s x. 1- C' 1 ? d o I