Will Jack Straw speak up?

As Abdul Rahman's life continues to hang in the balance, one voice has been noticeably silent, that of Britain's Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw.

As Charles Moore points out, Jack Straw wasted no time when it came to condemning the Danish cartoons for their alleged insensitivity (something his Government bore no responsbility for). In Afghanistan however, Britain undertook to liberate Afghanistan from the forces of extremism, so surely it has the responsibility to at least voice concern about what is happening there.

Unfortunately, Jack Straw is a weak man, motivated more by a desire to appease Islamic extremists than by any desire for justice. When it came to the cartoon row, he was keen not to upset the extremists. By keeping silent on this occasion, he is merely doing the same thing.