The Persecution Of Christians In Afghanistan: A Hidden Crisis

Christians in Afghanistan are facing persecution and death as the Taliban imposes strict punishments for those deemed guilty under Sharia Law. With the Taliban's return to power, religious minorities are at risk of violence and repression, including Christians, who make up less than 0.3% of Afghanistan's population. The situation is dire for Christian converts, who face the threat of death, torture, or detention if their new faith is discovered. Many Christians have gone into hiding, turning off their phones, and attempting to flee the country. The Taliban has been known to persecute and kill Christians, and misinformation about their persecution has also circulated on social media. The international community is working to rescue religious minorities, but the task is challenging due to the dangerous situation in the country.

Christians in Afghanistan are forced to keep their faith hidden, and if discovered, they face death or torture

Afghanistan's Christians, estimated to number between 10,000 and 12,000, have largely practised their faith underground. This is because Afghanistan is a predominantly Muslim country, and conversion is considered a crime punishable by death under Sharia Law. While the Taliban had promised to recognise more freedoms when they came to power in 2021, this has not been the case. Instead, the group has ensured that Islamic rules and customs are implemented and kept, leaving Christian converts with no option but to obey.

As a result, Afghan Christians must keep their faith secret or risk death, torture, or detention. They are forced to live, work, and identify as Muslims, and those who are discovered often have no choice but to flee the country. The surrounding society and family structure offer no support, and the government upholds this rigid stance. For example, if a Christian's faith is found out, their family or tribe may feel compelled to save their honour by disowning or even killing the believer. Additionally, leaving Islam is considered a sign of insanity, so converts may be forcibly sectioned in a psychiatric hospital.

The risks to Christians have increased since the Taliban takeover, as the group now controls every aspect of the government, including documentation that may help identify Christians. This has made it more difficult for the Christian community to be tracked down and helped by foreign governments. The memories of public executions, floggings, and amputations of Christians and other religious minorities under the previous Taliban rule are still vivid, and there are reports that the group is already working to track down known Christians, conducting targeted killings, and executing anyone found with Bible software on their cell phones.

The situation is especially difficult for Christian women, who face an uncertain future under Taliban rule. School attendance for girls is restricted, and women are barred from the workplace, largely limited to their homes. As a result, many Christians have chosen to leave the country, while those who remain must keep their faith hidden, turning off their phones, and moving to undisclosed locations to avoid surveillance.

Christians are turning off their phones and going into hiding to avoid being tracked down by the Taliban

Christians in Afghanistan are turning off their phones and going into hiding to avoid being tracked down and persecuted by the Taliban. The Taliban has been known to persecute and kill Christians. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is considered a crime punishable by death under Sharia Law. Christians in Afghanistan, therefore, have largely practiced their faith underground.

With the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, governments around the world are making plans to rescue as many at-risk Afghans as possible. Countries like Germany, the United Kingdom, and India are coordinating with civil society partners to determine who is most in need of rescue and how they can be evacuated. Canada has also expressed a willingness to grant visas to religious minorities, including Christians, whose lives may be endangered under the Taliban.

However, the Christian community in Afghanistan is becoming increasingly difficult to track down. It is estimated that there are between 10,000 and 12,000 Christians in the country, mostly converts from Islam. Since the Taliban's fall in 2001, the Christian community has grown and become more visible, in part due to the security provided by the US presence. Some Afghan Christians even included their religious affiliation on their national identity cards. But with the US withdrawal and the Taliban's return to power, Afghan Christians are once again forced to hide.

The Taliban is reportedly working to track down known Christians, and local church leaders are advising their communities to stay inside their homes or escape to the hills. Christians fear that they will be killed, and there are reports of targeted killings of Christians and other minorities by the Taliban. Additionally, Christians fear for the safety of their children, as the Taliban has publicized plans to ""eradicate the ignorance of irreligion" by taking non-Muslim women and girls as sex slaves and forcing boys to serve as soldiers.

To avoid detection, Christians are turning off their phones and moving to undisclosed locations. The lack of passports among many Afghan Christians further complicates rescue efforts, as it is unclear if they would be accepted by other countries without proper documentation. With phones off, it will be difficult to contact or locate Christians for rescue, even if the US or other governments take direct action. Time is running out for those stranded in Afghanistan, and the international community must act quickly to help the most vulnerable.

Christians are fleeing the country, with many living in poor conditions in refugee camps in neighbouring countries

Afghanistan's Christians are facing persecution by the Taliban, with those who are unable to flee the country being forced to keep their faith hidden. The Taliban has a history of persecuting Christians, and with their return to power in 2021, the situation has become even more dangerous for Christian believers.

The Taliban's interpretation of Sharia Law considers conversion from Islam a crime punishable by death. As a result, Christians in Afghanistan, who are mostly converts from Islam, are forced to practice their faith in secret. Many Christians have turned off their phones and gone into hiding to avoid being tracked down by the Taliban.

The takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2021 led to a mass exodus of Afghans, including Christians, seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. It is estimated that over 1.6 million Afghans have fled the country since 2021, with the total number of Afghans in neighbouring countries reaching 8.2 million.

Iran and Pakistan host the majority of Afghan refugees, with more than 2 million registered Afghan refugees between the two countries. However, Afghan refugees have faced challenges in these host countries as well. In Pakistan, Afghan refugees have been subjected to tight border management, with the government imposing deportation orders on undocumented immigrants. In Iran, Afghan refugees have faced restrictions on their access to public services and employment opportunities.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is working to aid Afghan refugees and internally displaced persons, providing them with emergency shelter, food, health care, water, and sanitation support. The organisation has also facilitated the voluntary repatriation of over 5.3 million refugees since 2002, ensuring their safe and dignified return to Afghanistan.

The situation for Christians in Afghanistan remains dire, with those who cannot flee being forced to keep their faith a secret to avoid persecution by the Taliban.

Christians who are unable to flee are being forced to live, work and identify as Muslims

Afghanistan is a country with a population of over 41 million, most of whom are Muslim. It is impossible to live openly as a Christian in Afghanistan. Leaving Islam is considered shameful, and Christian converts face dire consequences if their new faith is discovered. They must either flee the country or face death. This was true before the Taliban takeover in 2021, and the situation has only become more dangerous for Christians since.

The Taliban controls every aspect of government, including owning documentation that may help identify Christians. If a Christian's new faith is discovered, their family, clan, or tribe has to save its honour by disowning the believer or even killing them. Alternatively, since leaving Islam is considered a sign of insanity, a Christian who has converted from Islam may be forcibly sectioned in a psychiatric hospital.

Many Christians left Afghanistan in 2021, but others were unable to leave. Those who fled are now living in poor conditions in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. Those who remain in Afghanistan are forced to live, work, and identify as Muslims. They must keep their faith secret, or they may simply disappear.

Even before the Taliban takeover, women in Afghanistan lived as second-class citizens. Under Taliban rule, women are barred from the workplace and restricted to their homes. Being a woman in Afghanistan can be dangerous; being a Christian can be deadly. When the two are combined, it creates an incredibly difficult situation.

Afghanistan's religious minorities, including Christians, Sikhs, and Hindus, live in fear of the Taliban and brace for persecution. The Taliban has targeted and killed individuals because of their beliefs or their links to the Afghan government. Religious leaders have been threatened with death for preaching messages contrary to the Taliban's strict and austere interpretation of Islam.

The Taliban takeover has left religious minorities worried about their future and safety. There are signs that the Taliban is already targeting minorities. Amnesty International reported that the Taliban murdered nine ethnic Hazara men after taking control of the country's Ghazni province.

The United Nations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, warned that "Afghanistan's diverse ethnic and religious minorities are at risk of violence and repression" given the Taliban's history.

Christian converts face dire consequences, including being disowned or killed by their own family, clan or tribe

Christian converts in Afghanistan face dire consequences if their new faith is discovered. They are forced to either flee the country or risk being killed. The Taliban falsely claims that there are "no Christians" remaining in Afghanistan. However, there are an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 Christians in the country, according to International Christian Concern. The vast majority of them are converts from Islam, and they must keep their faith hidden.

The surrounding society and family structure in Afghanistan have no tolerance for religious freedom. If a Christian's faith is discovered, their family, clan, or tribe often feels pressured to save their honor by disowning or even killing the convert. This is widely considered to be justice. In some cases, leaving Islam is seen as a sign of insanity, and a Christian convert may be forcibly institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital.

The Taliban's strict interpretation of Islam and their control over the government have increased the risk of discovery for Christian converts. They are subjected to extreme persecution and must keep their faith a secret or risk disappearing. Many Christians have chosen to live in hiding or flee the country, while those who stay behind face constant fear of exposure and the dire consequences that come with it.

The consequences of converting to Christianity are so severe that even aiding a convert is nearly as despised as being one. Christian converts often face rejection and violence from their own families and communities. For example, Josef, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity, had to flee to Afghanistan after his wife's family in Pakistan discovered his conversion and beat him, intending to kill him.

The situation for Christian converts in Afghanistan is extremely dangerous, and they must take great risks to practice their faith in secret, facing the constant threat of dire consequences from their families, communities, and the Taliban regime.

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