Killing by mob may prove 'a turning point'

Poets, musicians, actors and activists packed an empty shop in a Kabul mall to commemorate the short life and violent death of a woman who has become a symbol for justice and women's rights.

The name of Farkhunda, beaten to death by a frenzied mob in the mistaken belief that she had burned a Quran, has become a rallying cry for Afghans hoping the shocking incident will lead to profound changes in Afghanistan.

Activists say the previously unquestioned power of the religious establishment is being challenged for the first time in Afghanistan's modern history. Religious leaders and conservative politicians have been forced by public opinion to apologize for trying to justify Farkhunda's killing.