Taliban declares death to converts

The supreme leader of the ruling Taliban Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, Mullah Mohamed Omar, has declared that any Muslim converting to another faith would face the death penalty, the BBC reported on Monday. According to the edict issued, strict Islamic law, or Sharia, would apply to any Afghan Muslim who was caught professing Christianity or Judaism, or distributing literature promoting non-Islamic faiths. In addition, it cited what it described as attempts by enemies of Islam to win over Muslims to Christianity and Judaism. Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Abdul Hai Mutmain said that foreigners in Afghanistan were secretly trying to convert Afghans to Christianity, the report added. The Taliban, which controls an estimated 90 percent of the country, follows a strict interpretation of Islam, barring women from most jobs and insisting that men and women follow a strict dress code. In those parts of the country it controls, it has introduced Islamic punishments for crimes, including execution and the amputation of limbs.