Afghanistan: A light shines in the darkness

 

“WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR THE NIGHT, BUT JOY COMES IN THE MORNING.”

(PSALM 30:5 NKJV)

 

Three years after the Taliban took over the country, the economy is collapsing, international assistance has virtually dried up, and there is growing dissatisfaction among the people. The Taliban continue to persecute Christians and are singling out women and girls. In August, they issued a strict public morality law completely prohibiting women from speaking, singing or praying aloud in public. The law is an attempt to literally silence women and erase them from view.

Women have also been ordered to cover every part of their body and face and be escorted by a man in public. Dozens of women have been arrested in the streets of Kabul and taken to unknown locations. To be a Christian woman in Afghanistan would almost certainly incur the death penalty. Afghanistan is now the only country in the world to ban girls from both secondary school and university.

The Taliban set about enforcing a strict interpretation of Sharia law after seizing power in 2021. They banned conversion from Islam to Christianity and began hunting down anyone suspected of being a Christian. Christians who converted from Islam were reportedly arrested, tortured, and even executed. Christians left the country, while others went into hiding. There were fears that there were no believers left in the country.

But today, in the midst of this grim situation, there is hope. Many Afghans who fled to neighbouring countries are being repatriated and returning with a new-found faith in Christ. These new believers are forming tiny communities across the country and are meeting in secret. They are starting from scratch, much like the early church did in the first century, strengthening their faith in the face of severe persecution and suffering.

At the same time, the Taliban have been working to erase Christianity from the country and are using advanced surveillance technology to monitor communications. Despite the risks, the new Christian communities are finding ways to worship, share the gospel, and support one another in the hostile environment.

Muslims account for 99 percent of the population of Afghanistan, with the vast majority practising Sunni Islam. There are no public Christian churches. According to Open Doors, Afghanistan is ranked as the world’s 10th worst persecutor of Christians.

This Advent and Christmas, Afghanistan’s Christians remind us that even in the most oppressive circumstances, the light of Christ cannot be extinguished. Their journey is perilous, but their faith is strong. And it is in Christ that we find hope — not just for the future of the church in Afghanistan, but for all of us who believe in the power of the gospel to transform lives, even in the darkest of times.

Let us stand with our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan and pray for them.

 

Home Group Prayer

Dear God, our Father,

We lift up our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan. We especially lift up our sisters who live there in fear and anxiety about their safety and that of their families. In the midst of all the trials and oppression, we thank you for the amazing evidence of your presence there.

We pray for the government in Afghanistan, and ask that your light may shine there too. Please open their eyes to the plight of their people and fill them with compassion for them. We ask that they too would know the grace and freedom that come from you.

Thank you for the amazing ways in which you manifest your presence there. Please continue to visit people in dreams and visions, and reveal yourself in other miraculous ways. We pray for the coming down of barriers — spiritual, political, social — for nothing is impossible for you. Thank you that you love the people of Afghanistan and desire them to live in the hope and freedom that comes from you.

We ask these things in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Afghanistan: Believer forced to recant

“The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies…..
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

(Psalm 118:6-7, 29)

The Taliban are continuing their crackdown on Afghan Christians and especially those who do not adhere to the government’s harsh and strict interpretation of Sunni Islam. For most Afghan Christians, following Jesus is a death sentence. Fear dominates the country and believers cannot practise their faith openly. They face dire consequences, including disownment, torture, being forcibly sent to a psychiatric hospital, or even death if they are discovered.

Two weeks ago, the Taliban arrested a Christian and jailed him. According to local sources, the police beat him in prison and forced him to recant his Christian faith. He was forced to share the names and phone numbers of other Christians he was involved with in the country.

Sources also say the Taliban has been monitoring suspected Christian leaders and finding out their homes and work addresses. There have also been accounts of the Taliban going door to door seeking out Afghan Christians. Others have received letters from the militants, threatening them and their families. Christian converts have also been receiving threatening phone calls. Some Christians have turned their phones off for fear of being discovered and have moved to undisclosed locations.

According to Sharia law, conversion from Islam to another religion is considered shameful and punishable by death. Afghanistan has a small number of Christians, mostly Afghan believers. The country is ninth on the Open Doors World Watch List, making it a place of extreme persecution.

Meanwhile, the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has arrested dozens of women who failed to observe the strict dress code in the streets of the capital city, Kabul. They have been taken to unknown locations. A spokesperson for the Ministry referred to this violation of the rule as “bad hijab” and warned women they would continue tracking down offenders. Women are not allowed by the Taliban to visit public parks, gyms or bathhouses, and a close male relative must accompany them for long road trips.

As previously reported, in September 2023, the Taliban detained at least 20 people, including an American surgeon, in a fresh crackdown on international aid agencies. The International Assistance Mission (IAM) offices in Ghor, central Afghanistan, were raided and the non-profit organization accused of using aid to spread Christianity. IAM said the detention took place on two separate occasions in September. IAM has operated in Afghanistan since 1966.

Prayer points:

  • Pray for the protection of secret believers and that God’s close presence will bring peace, joy, and hope to their hearts.
  • Pray for opportunities for believers to gather secretly, and have all their physical, emotional and spiritual needs met.
  • Pray that the Holy Spirit will soften the hearts of the Taliban leaders towards women and religious minorities.
  • Pray that those who have fled to neighbouring countries will be led to places where all their needs are met.

 

Christian NGO workers targeted in Afghanistan

 

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged”
(Deuteronomy 31 : 8)

At least 18 staffers from the International Assistance Mission (IAM) office in Ghor province, central Afghanistan were detained by the Taliban in September. According to a government source, the Taliban’s intelligence agency conducted two separate raids on 3 and 13 September as part of an ongoing crackdown on international aid agencies. All of the staffers, including a female American surgeon, are still being detained in Kabul.

IAM stated that they were unaware of the circumstances that led to the raid and were petitioning the government and working with the United Nations and Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development for the release of their workers.

“The well-being and security of our colleagues are paramount to us, and we are doing everything possible to ensure their safety and secure their swift release,” stated IAM.

The Taliban’s provincial government spokesman, Abdul Wahid Hamas, was quoted in local media as saying that the agency staff, including several women, had been taken into custody based on the charge of “propagating and promoting Christianity” in Afghanistan. Local reports said agents from the Taliban’s intelligence agency had a list of names when they raided the premises.

IAM has refuted the charges and assures that they operate the aid agency within the governing laws of the country and do not use it to further a particular political or religious standpoint.

“All our staff abide by the laws of Afghanistan. We are in a state of shock. We are accused of something I never imagined. We are just waiting to see what happens next,” said an IAM worker.

In the past two years, since the withdrawal of US forces and the fall of the US-backed Afghan government, the Taliban has reimposed Sharia (Islamic law), and severely restricted the rights and freedoms of women in the country. They have also cracked down on the operations of international aid agencies, despite an increasingly concerning humanitarian situation. The spread of Christianity is a violation of the Taliban’s strict regulations and can be punished under strict interpretations of Sharia in Afghanistan.

Last December, the Taliban outlawed women from working for domestic and foreign aid agencies, significantly complicating their efforts to assist locals with nutrition, health care, and education, as they had traditionally employed many local women.

Registered in Switzerland, IAM has been operating in Afghanistan since 1966 and helped more than 4 million Afghans. They claim to have spent over US$40 million in the last decade alone “on initiatives aimed at improving healthcare, education, and community development throughout Afghanistan”. In August 2010, 10 IAM team members were murdered by gunmen as they returned from Badakhshan province, northeastern Afghanistan, where they had been providing healthcare.

Home Group Prayer

Dear Lord,

We pray for your protection over all your faithful servants, especially these women who have been detained at this time.   We ask that you will watch over them, keep them from any harm, and bring them safely and swiftly back to their families.  Give them a strong sense of your comforting presence and keep them steadfast in their faith.

We thank you for the work of all Christians in Afghanistan.  We thank you that your great love inspires them to help others in need, despite the dangers and risks. Watch over and protect them all as they strive to glorify you through their work.

And we pray for the country of Afghanistan and all its people.  We ask that you would reveal yourself to them more and more, and guide them to know and love you as the one true God.  We pray for peaceful change and an end to the oppressive and dark rule of those currently in power.

Amen.

 

Afghanistan: Christians at risk

“For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
(2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV)

The world watched in shock as the Taliban regained  full control of Afghanistan in just 10 short days, following the withdrawal of U.S. troops leaving the Taliban to reestablish a new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Amidst the chaos and confusion, there have been conflicting and contrasting reports about the new regime and era for Afghanistan, making it hard to establish an accurate picture of what is actually happening on the ground at the moment.

Within this context, one thing is clear for the Church in Afghanistan: imminent persecution. Before the Taliban regained power, the situation for the fledgling church and Christians in the country was already dire. Afghanistan is ranked No. 2 on the Open Doors 2021 World Watch List (second only to North Korea) and it is nearly impossible to live openly as a Christian in a country where over 99 percent of Afghans are Muslims and most of the population have never heard the gospel message before.

Afghan Christians are forced to worship secretly in homes or other small and secret venues, while evangelism is strictly forbidden. Beatings, arrests, imprisonment, torture and kidnappings are all common place for believers as well as martyrdom.  Most Christians in the country are first generation converts from Islam which makes them especially vulnerable as apostasy is punishable by death under the strict and extreme Islamic doctrine prescribed by the Taliban. They are also persecuted by their own families and communities.

Despite all of this, Christianity has continued to grow against the odds and Afghan house churches have multiplied in the face of persecution and oppression.

The actual number of Christians in Afghanistan is generally said to be unknown .There are believed to be between 1,000 to 8,000 Christians secretly practicing their faith in Afghanistan according to the U.S. International Religious Freedom Report and only one officially recognised Christian church in the country which was the Catholic chapel situated inside the (now evacuated) Italian Embassy.

Access to Bibles is severely restricted and only available through underground ministry networks or in digital formats, while owning a physical printed Bible is effectively a death sentence.

Christians already faced the very real threat of death and persecution on a daily basis for simply converting from Islam or professing their faith, and with the Taliban now back in power, the situation will only realistically get even worse, if that were possible.

In this desperate and dire situation, the only – and yet also divinely the most crucial and key thing – we can do is to pray. As King Jehoshaphat prayed in the face of attack and desperation: “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” (2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV)

Christians in the country have now been forced to go even deeper underground and completely offline with many turning off their phones and moving to undisclosed locations to seek safety and protection from the current situation. It is now impossible for most people to get out of the country as borders are controlled by the Taliban while flights out are either desperately full or unable to get off the ground amid the chaos and panic at the last remaining exit of Kabul Airport.

How should we pray? With the advance of extremism, food and practical aid shortages and a pandemic that has continued to ravage a country that suffers from decades of war, systemic poverty and lack of development, the immediate future certainly looks bleak from a human standpoint.

Pray for miraculous divine intervention for:

  • The remaining believers in the country to be given supernatural strength, faith and peace to endure / persevere and for safety, protection and provision.
  • Newly displaced Afghan refugees who are desperately fleeing the new regime and expected to end up in many different parts of the world.
  • The sick / infected / dying for access to vaccines and healthcare and for healing and recovery from COVID-19 and other illnesses and infirmities.
  • Practical humanitarian aid to be able to enter the country and reach those most in need who have no access to food and basic necessities.
  • The new Taliban government that they would have compassion on the people of Afghanistan and implement a peaceful and humane era of government against all expectations and for God to be the ultimate sovereign authority in the country and for His name and Church to be glorified against the odds.