Rahman seeks asylum

Via AP/Yahoo:

U.N. spokesman Adrian Edwards said the world body was working with the Afghan government to meet the request by Abdul Rahman, 41.

"Mr. Rahman has asked for asylum outside Afghanistan," he said. "We expect this will be provided by one of the countries interested in a peaceful solution to this case."

Of course, that's assuming he can make it out of the country alive:

Earlier, hundreds of people protested a court's decision Sunday to drop the case against Rahman, and an official said discussions were underway to determine when he would be released.

Muslim clerics have threatened to incite Afghans to kill Rahman if he is freed, saying he is guilty of apostasy and deserves to die. They said Rahman violated Islamic Shariah law by rejecting Islam.

But of course, if he does survive, we all know who will get the blame:

Monday's protest ended peacefully about two hours after it started in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, said police commander Nasruddin Hamdrad. The protesters chanted "Death to Bush!" and other anti-Western slogans, while the police stood guard.

Sadly, this fellow is likely to be in danger anywhere he goes. And knowing this, it appears that our State Department isn't extending a hand, at least not publicly (H/T Michelle Malkin):

"He will be released," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. "I understand now that the details of his release and any potential onward travel are being handled as a private matter."

I think following through is a requirement here. I hope our State Department is part of that "private matter".