From a Wall Street Journal commentary by Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kiterunner, on the case of Sayed Parwez Kaambakhsh, the Afghan journalism student facing a possible death sentence for blasphemy: (h/t to Jim Bobby)

This case is about much more than the fate of Mr. Kaambakhsh. For the past seven years, Afghan leaders have sought to enlist the help of the international community in the efforts to rebuild a country still reeling from nearly three decades of war, anarchy and extremism. President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly, and quite rightly, called for a genuine and long-term commitment on the part of the world's wealthy nations, a plea that I, among other Afghans, have echoed publicly. But Afghanistan must show the world that it has broken from its recent past of zealotry and intolerance.

In 2006, the country had such an opportunity with the case of Abdul Rahman, a 41-year-old Afghan man who was put on trial and faced a death sentence for the crime of converting to Christianity. His case came to an end when, under tremendous international pressure that included a plea to President Karzai from Pope Benedict XVI, Afghan lawmakers allowed Mr. Rahman to flee to Italy where he was granted asylum. At the time, I thought that moderate Afghan leaders had wasted an opportunity to stand their ground and demonstrate their regime's respect for freedom of thought, religion and expression -- the pillars of any democracy.

Mr. Kaambakhsh's case presents another opportunity for Afghanistan to demonstrate that ruling by the strict word of Shariah -- at the expense of tolerance, compassion and freedom -- is a thing of the past. It is a chance for Afghanistan to show the world that it will abide by the fundamental principles of democracy, and to validate its repeated calls for financial support from the international community. ...

Should Mr. Kaambakhsh be executed, it would be a tragedy not only for him and his family, but for all of us who hold out hope for a freer, more prosperous, more enlightened Afghanistan.

It remains to be seen whether Mr. Kaambakhsh is executed, but one thing Hosseini didn't mention is how many Afghans expressed support for the notion of executing the apostate.

See this March 29, 2006 post for background on Abdul Rahman.

Here's an earlier post about creeping fundamentalism: Afghan province bars male tailors from measuring women

That is happening in Takhar province in northeastern Afghanistan. Kaambakhsh's troubles are occurring in Balkh province, in the north. And here I was thinking all the Islamic fundamentalists are in the south.