Christians in Pakistan brace for greater persecution after blasphemy law revision

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”
(Psalm 5:11 NIV)

Christians in Pakistan are fearing greater persecution after Pakistan’s National Assembly  (lower house of the federal Parliament) unanimously voted to strengthen the country’s blasphemy laws. The law, which can be used to punish those who insult the Prophet Mohammad, is now extended to include the Prophet’s wives, companions, and close relatives. Those convicted can face ten years’ imprisonment with no provision for bail, a fine of one million rupees (about US$12,000), and even a death or life sentence.

The law has often been used as a tool for persecution and discrimination. In many cases, the accused has been attacked and killed by a mob even before legal proceedings begin.

Islam is the state religion of Pakistan, which allows capital punishment for apostasy and blasphemy against the religion. Christians in Pakistan are considered second-class citizens and face discrimination in every area of public and private life.  At least 40 people are currently serving life sentences or execution for blasphemy in the country. A number of other Muslim-majority nations have capital punishment for apostasy but not blasphemy.

According to the British Asian Christian Association, Christians make up an “unhealthy percentage of blasphemy convicts and spend longer periods incarcerated than other victims of these draconian laws.” False accusations are often made against Christians in unrelated disputes, and these could lead to attacks by mobs. A famous case was that of Asia Bibi, a Catholic, who was allegedly accused of blasphemy and spent almost 10 years on death row. She left Pakistan in 2019 but is still receiving death threats. In 2011, Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab, was assassinated for opposing the blasphemy laws, as was Shahbaz Bhatti, the first Minister for Minorities Affairs and the only Christian in the Cabinet, for opposing the blasphemy laws and fighting for the release of Asia Bibi.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent rights group, said it was deeply concerned over the latest legislation, which has yet to be approved by the Senate (upper house of the federal Parliament).  Let us lift Pakistan and our brothers and sisters there to the Lord.

Home Group Prayer:

Our Father,

Thank you for the nation of Pakistan that you love and your people there for whom you laid down your life.  At this time, we pray that you would, in your power and care, cover the country with your blood.  May your protection be over our brothers and sisters there.

We also lift up the leaders and those in power in the country, and ask that the blasphemy laws would be repealed, and that freedom of religion would be granted to all.  May your Spirit work mightily, changing hearts and turning them to you. We especially lift up the women in the country, especially those who know you, and ask that your hand of protection would be upon them. We know you are raising up leaders who are speaking up for those who are persecuted, and ask for your hand upon them.  May your kingdom come in Pakistan, and may you do more in that country than we can ever imagine.

We commit Pakistan, the believers there, and those in power into your hands, in Jesus’ name. Amen!

India: Increase in violence against Christians in Punjab

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
(1 Timothy 2:1-2)

Violence against Christians in Punjab state has been on the rise. Akal Takht is the highest earthly authority for the Sikhs. Its Jathedar, or chief spokesperson of the Sikh community, is Giani Harpreet Singh. He has recently accused Christian groups in the state of conducting large-scale forced conversions and demanded a law against such conversions. Unlike several other states, Punjab does not have an anti-conversion law. Article 25 of India’s Constitution guarantees freedom of “profession, practice and propogation of religion” for all citizens. However,whether this freedom includes the right to convert has been debated.

Sikh and Christian leaders have been called upon to diffuse tensions following anti-Christian rhetoric. There have been a string of attacks including on 31 August, when four masked men vandalised a church in Tarn Taran district bordering Pakistan, and set the church car on fire. Local leaders say the incident was meticulously planned to create discord between Christians and Sikhs in Punjab.

In another incident, a group attacked a prayer meeting led by missionaries in Daduana village, Amritsar district on 28 August. Describing the attack on his church, Pastor Sukhvinder Raja said 500 Sikhs wielding sharp-edged weapons, sticks and firearms had attacked the assembly of 200 worshippers—mostly women and children. “The attackers did not spare anyone, and injured around 45 people in the presence of a strong police force which had reached there as the Nihangs [Sikh warriors] started gathering.”

Raja adds, “I was their target but they failed to spot me. Members of the congregation rescued me and locked me inside a room close to the spot. The police have charged more than 150 Sikhs for disrupting the meeting.” The Pentecostal church met every Sunday for prayer, preaching and healing until recently at a rented field in the village, and had been growing by about 100 people every week.

House churches in Punjab have grown over the years by the thousands. They draw Dalit Sikhs, who do not formally convert to Christianity though they regularly attend church services. According to some estimates, there has been a 5–10 percent increase in the number of such churches over the past few years.

As allegations of induced conversion grow, Albert Dua, a former member of Punjab’s Minority Commission and president of the Christian United Federation in Punjab, has rejected the allegations: At church, “only prayers are said for them without any fee. There’s no such thing as a religious conversion. It’s the change of heart.” Parminder Kaur, a Sikh by birth, became a Christian some 13 years ago. She denies that economic incentives were offered for her to convert: “No one paid us anything.”

Christians and Sikhs are both minority groups in India, but Sikhs form the majority in Punjab. According to a 2011 census, Christians make up 1.26% of Punjab’s population of close to 27.7 million, while Sikhs are close to 58%.

Home Group Prayer:

Dear God,

We lift up the nation of India to you, especially the state of Punjab. We thank you that so many are turning to you in spite of opposition and persecution. We lift up the leaders in the government and the police force who have the power to stop the attacks against Christians, and ask that you would intercede on behalf of your people. May the Holy Spirit’s power and presence rest on Christians, that they will know your comfort and the peace that passes all understanding in these hard times. We stand with our brothers and sisters who are suffering and paying a great price for their faith, and ask that you will continue drawing people to you.

We ask these in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen!

 

Pastor In Laos Tortured, Brutally Murdered

For more details, please go to ‘Pastor In Laos Tortured, Brutally Murdered‘ at Religion Unplugged.

It is with a heavy heart that we want to share with you that the body of pastor See, who went missing last week under extreme and suspicious circumstances, has been found in a ditch off a jungle road  this morning (24th October) .He leaves behind a wife and eight children.  The youngest is one year old.  The authorities warned pastor See many times to stop sharing about Jesus, and in recent months have been following and threatening him with dire consequences.

The Christian population in Laos is about 1.7%, though in some provinces, the percentage is higher. Church leaders have been encouraging their congregations to pray for a 10% increase in the Christian population 2030.

For more details, please go to ‘Pastor In Laos Tortured, Brutally Murdered‘ at Religion Unplugged.

Prayer:

Father, our hearts weep and we are saddened by this tragedy.  Pastor See is at peace in your arms. We pray for comfort,  care and provision for his wife and eight children as they grieve. We lift up the church and all the pastors in Laos and ask that your presence would be very real to them.  Take away any fear and give them boldness and courage to keep proclaiming your love.  Keep them safe and provide for their every need.  We pray that your kingdom would come in Laos, and that your will would be done there.  We ask these in the name of your son, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Indonesia: Blasphemy law in action

“The  name  of  the  LORD  is  a  strong  tower.  The  righteous  run  into  it and  are  safe.”

(Proverbs 18:10 NRSV)

A former Muslim cleric who converted to Christianity was sentenced to ten years in prison under Indonesia’s blasphemy law for allegedly offending Muslims across the country.

Muhammad Kace converted to Christianity in 2014. After his conversion, he began uploading videos to YouTube criticizing his former faith. He was arrested in Bali last August, following a sermon video in which he allegedly insulted the prophet Muhammad. The judges of Ciamis District Court in West Java agreed with prosecutors to sentence him for his offenses. Thousands of Muslims surrounded the court in support of the harsher indictment. While in detention, he had been brutally beaten by prison inmates.

Under Indonesia’s blasphemy law, offenders can be punished with up to five years in jail. But there is also a blasphemy provision of the Internet law, which carries a maximum term of ten years. Blasphemy prosecutions have become more common over the past two decades, undermining Indonesia’s reputation as a tolerant Islamic state. The blasphemy law has mostly been used against those deemed to have insulted Islam.

In June this year, police charged six people at the Holywings Bar and Restaurant chain with blasphemy over a promotion offering free alcoholic drinks for people named Mohammad or Maria. Jakarta’s Governor Anies Baswedan revoked the licence of all 12 outlets of the chain after complaints by religious groups. In 2017, Jakarta’s former governor Basuki “Ahok” Purnama, a Christian, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for blasphemy on charges widely seen as politically motivated.

Under Indonesia’s Pancasila policy which recognises Islam, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism as major religions, the blasphemy law should defend against those who “distort” or “misrepresent” these faiths. But while Indonesia has jailed more than 150 people since the blasphemy law was passed in 1965, they have mostly been from religious minorities.

Christians should have the same rights as other religious groups. But in some regions, they face difficulties in getting permission to build churches. Local authorities often ignore requests by churches even if they manage to fulfil all legal requirements. It is more difficult to register a church than a mosque.

The persecution of Christians in Indonesia has worsened in recent years. Churches that engage in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups. Extremist groups in West Java and Aceh continue to exert a strong influence on society and politics.

Home Group Prayer:

Dear Father God,

We pray for our brothers and sisters in the beautiful country of Indonesia as they try to live out their faith in the face of religious persecution. We ask that they may sense your presence and nearness in a very real and vibrant manner, and that your Holy Spirit will continue to nurture and comfort them. We ask for authorities to respect all, regardless of their faiths, and especially for Christian converts from other faiths to be able to live and worship freely without fear or oppression.

We lift up Muhammad Kace who is now in prison for his faith, and ask that you protect his life and his well being. May he be treated well and released very soon. We pray for his family, and for other believers who live in fear. We also pray for wisdom and discernment for those in power in the Indonesian government, and ask that your will be done in this country.

We ask these in the name of your son, Jesus.

Amen!

 

Laos: Christian family attacked and displaced from home

 “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 

(2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV)


(Photo courtesy of a citizen journalist)

A Christian family in southern Laos has recently been persecuted and physically attacked in spite of religious freedom protected and guaranteed by a national law in the country.

In February, villagers of Dong Savanh in Phalanxay district of Savannakhet province attacked mourners and pallbearers who were attempting to bury their Christian patriarch in their own rice field. Seng Aloun, the widow of the deceased, said an angry mob turned up and beat family members and participants, and even attacked the coffin with clubs. Other villagers then torched their home and at least 12 family members were driven out and forced to flee and take shelter with relatives.

Seng Aloun said this attack was the latest in a string of assaults on the family by villagers as well as local authorities. When her husband passed away last December, they refused his burial in the village cemetery. They also struck his coffin with wooden sticks and hit their family members.

Seng Aloun posted videos on social media to show what had happened at the cemetery and appealed for help. Police who investigated the attacks at the two attempted burials asked her to remove the posts. Then on 15 March, district authorities invited her and some other members of the local Christian church to the office of the Phalanxay City Problem Resolution Committee to discuss the conflict between the family and Dong Savanh village officials.

However, one local Christian leader reported, “At the meeting, the district authorities again demanded the family take down the posts and the videos of the burned home and the attack on the coffin, or to make changes to the posts.” One proposed change was to imply that someone else had burned down their home and not the village chief. However, the authorities have neither interrogated nor investigated the village chief about the fire and the seizure of the family’s farmland.

A member of the Lao Evangelical Church in Savannakhet province has said that he was worried about Seng Aloun’s family, because according to him, authorities do not honour the Lao government’s legal protection for Christians: “In Savannakhet province, authorities at all levels from villages to the province have attended seminars and been informed about the Law on the Evangelical Church which spells out all the rights, rules and regulations concerning Christians. But the problem is that many village authorities won’t comply. It’s like they know the rules, but they don’t follow them.”

The family has refused to delete or make any changes to the social media posts and said they would file a complaint with the provincial and central governments. As Seng Aloun is raising her children alone in the forest outside the village, she hopes that district officials can help find the arsonist and the conflict can be resolved soon.

The law protecting religious freedom came into effect in December 2019 and gives Lao Christians the right to conduct services, to preach throughout the country, and to maintain contact with believers in other countries.

Home Group Prayer:

Dear Father God,

We pray for the believers in Laos who face the threat of physical harm and persecution from all fronts. We ask for your divine protection to cover them and shield them from attack, be it physical, legal, verbal or spiritual.

We ask for authorities to uphold and respect the law that is designed to enforce religious freedom and for Lao Christians to be able to live and worship freely without fear or oppression.

We pray especially for Seng Aloun, her children and her family members who have been displaced from their own homes, that there will be a swift resolution in the face of their grief and that they will be able to give their husband and father a proper burial without further attack.

We pray for your divine intervention in this tragic situation and ask for Seng Aloun and her family members to be able to return safely to their home soon.

In Jesus’ name, amen!

PAKISTAN: Pastor killed after Sunday service

 “… The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

(Hebrews 13:6 NIV)

On 30 January, two pastors in Peshawar, Pakistan were shot by two gunmen on a motorcycle in a suspected terrorist attack. Pastor William Siraj, 75, was killed and Rev. Patrick Naeem was taken to hospital but thankfully discharged without injury. They were driving home after leading a Sunday morning service.

This latest attack and a fresh wave of incidents targeting Pakistan’s Christian community have left believers fearful. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which the police are still investigating.

Pastor Siraj’s funeral was held on 31 January at All Saints Church, the very church where on 22 September 2013 two suicide bombers had killed as many as 127 people, including an estimated 37 children, and injured a further 170.

One of the martyrs was Pastor Siraj’s son-in-law. He had been supporting his daughter in the years since her widowing, and often ministered to the families of other victims.

While Christians make up only 1.9 percent of the population, this still totals roughly 4.1 million people. Pakistan is currently eighth on the Open Doors World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most persecution. Believers not only face the threat of death and violence, but also discrimination because of blasphemy laws.

Home Group Prayer:

Father God Almighty,

We pray for our brothers and sisters in Pakistan and the persecution they are experiencing right now. We can’t imagine the fear they live under every day and ask for your Word and your everlasting peace to comfort them in the midst of this terror.

We also ask for peace and a permanent cease to any further would-be attacks on Christians in Pakistan. We ask you to change the hearts of those who seek harm and deliver them out of the darkness they live in by shining your light on them through the power of the gospel.

We pray for the family of Pastor William Siraj and all who have been victims of all these terrible attacks over the years. We ask for your comfort to envelop them in the midst of their sorrow, for your joy to be their strength, and for your love to help them forgive.

We also pray for the government and authorities of Pakistan, that they would provide protection and support to the Christian minority and stop such attacks. We ask for their hearts to be moved by compassion and for the message of the cross of Christ to be continuously preached throughout the country without fear.

Lord! Please hear our prayer. We ask it all in the name of your son, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

IRAN: Supreme Court reviewing prison terms of Christian converts

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will

strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

(Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

Christians in Iran have been encouraged by news that the Supreme Court in Tehran has ordered a review of prison terms handed to nine Christian converts.

The converts had been arrested in July 2019 and charged with undermining Iran’s national security by “promoting Christianity” and “Zionist evangelism”. For these offences, they were each handed a five-year prison sentence in October 2019.

Since the arrests and sentencing, human rights organisations have been raising concerns over the judicial process. There had been initial disagreements over legal representation for five of the nine defendants, who were transferred to the notorious Evin prison while the remaining four were given conditional releases. Then in February 2020, the appeals court upheld the sentences for all nine defendants with none of their lawyers present. Eight of the defendants are now in Evin prison in Tehran, which is more than four hours away by car from their families in Rasht. This distance violates their legal rights to family visits.

The encouraging news came on 24 November, when the Supreme Court announced that they disagreed the offences that the defendants had been charged with correspond to “gathering and collusion against internal or external security” as outlined in the original verdict. Given this, they will now conduct a full review of the trial.

The decision comes amid international pressure on Iran’s religious-political leadership to end a crackdown on Christians, many of whom come from Muslim backgrounds. It is understood that a positive outcome to this review could be an important precedent for similar cases and for the safety and freedom of Christians in Iran.

Home group prayer

Heavenly father, we give you thanks for the assurance that in all things you work for the good of those who love you. We thank you that we have been called according to your purpose and that you promise never to leave us nor forsake us.

Lord, today we pray for each of the nine who have been arrested and imprisoned in Iran. Might they know your presence with them more keenly than ever before and may your Holy Spirit comfort them in this dark and frightening time. Lord, we pray for your protection over them, that for each day that they remain imprisoned, you will protect their physical, mental and spiritual health.

And Lord, we pray for this Supreme Court review — might this be a moment of chains breaking for Christians across Iran, and beyond. We pray that the nine converts will receive a thorough and fair assessment and that the outcome will be in line with international norms on religious freedom and human rights.

Lord, we pray for the families of those who are imprisoned and for their brothers and sisters, the members of house churches across Iran. We pray for an end to criminalisation and harassment for your followers and for your divine equipping of them.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Vietnam: A country in crisis

“You are the salt of the earth. …  You are the light of the world. … let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:13, 14, 16 NIV)

It’s easy these days to gloss over or ignore any news reports you read about Covid-related crises, especially as the entire world has been dealing with the pandemic for almost two years now. However, in Vietnam, a real and urgent Covid-19 crisis has been unfolding in the last few months, triggered by the highly contagious Delta variant that has hit the country particularly hard.

This recent Covid crisis has come as a surprise and caught people off-guard in a country that was applauded and admired last year for its success in keeping the virus under control through aggressive contact tracing and quarantine measures. Average daily cases of Covid-19 hovered around 200 at the start of June but surged to more than 12,000 a day last month. As of mid-October, daily cases are almost at 4,000. In total, there have been almost 850,000 infections and more than 20,000 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began.

In May, the Revival Ekklesia Mission house church in Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon) was publicly singled out by authorities and blamed for an outbreak in June. They were threatened with criminal investigation and permanent closure despite numerous other outbreak sources left unmentioned by the government or reported in the media.

The government has since made a desperate bid to stem the sharp surge and spread of Covid-19.  In the outbreak epicentre of Ho Chi Minh City and 18 other provinces, the government imposed a strict lockdown that prevented citizens from leaving their homes, not even to buy food. Soldiers were deployed to enforce the restrictions by patrolling the streets. These lockdown restrictions were eased in early October.

The government has now abandoned the “Zero Covid” strategy that had been so successful before the Delta variant, but the impact of the lockdown has been widespread, with many of the poorest and those who have lost jobs going hungry without access to daily food and basic necessities.

There have been multiple examples of local churches going above and beyond to respond to this desperate need, even amidst the persecution and threats of prosecution after churches and Christians began to be blamed for spreading Covid due to two house churches that were traced as sources of two early outbreaks in March and April this year.

Church leaders have been delivering hundreds of food packages to the neediest members of their congregation as well as the poorest in their communities, despite the risk of exposure to Covid. One leader shared how there has been an opportunity to show compassion to the soldiers patrolling the streets in the heat and humidity without sufficient hydration, by loading his car with bottles of water and handing them out to the grateful soldiers.

In this dire situation, there have also been opportunities to share the gospel message. One example was a pastor including details of his online church service with food packet deliveries to those in need, many of whom are unchurched. He reported that average Facebook visits for his church exploded from a few hundred to 15,000, prompting him to make his services evangelistic.

While the Covid situation is starting to improve and the authorities are reopening the country, let’s press in to pray for Vietnam, specifically that:

  • the spread of Covid-19 and the Delta variant in particular ceases and cases drop significantly to safer and more manageable levels across the country.
  • the government secures more supplies of official vaccines, so they can boost the overall vaccination rate across the country which remains low (less than 10 percent of the population were fully vaccinated by the end of September).
  • aid, food, necessities and medical supplies reach those most in need, including the poor, unemployed and those suffering from Covid-19 infection.
  • those who have lost family members and loved ones during the pandemic have an opportunity to grieve properly, as many of those who died in this latest outbreak were buried industrially and family members were not permitted to hold funerals.
  • the local church and Christians in Vietnam are able to take advantage of this unique time and opportunity to share the redemptive message of the gospel to counter the despair and hopelessness during the pandemic and for persecution of the church by the authorities to stop.

 

Bangladesh: Villagers flee after attack on local church

“So Jesus answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life.’”
(Mark 10:29–30 NKJV)

Christians in a southeastern Bangladesh village are living in fear after a group of Buddhist extremists attacked their small Baptist church twice and damaged the building. Local reports said the attacks came after weeks of threats to force church members to recant their Christian faith and return to Buddhism. The Christian residents of Suandrapara village in Rangamati district of the Chittagong Hill Tracts fled after they and the church were finally attacked in July.

The extremists had been angered when the church members built the brick and tin-roofed church in January. The Bangladesh Bawm Tribal Baptist Church had funded this building project, since the Suandrapara Christians, who were previously Buddhists, had been worshipping in a small house since they “met Jesus Christ” in 2005.

The United People’s Democratic Front, a violent political party based in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, led the first attack on 15 July. During this attack, the church gate, cross and parts of the building were broken. The church members were given seven days to stop all church activities and re-convert to Buddhism. A week later on 22 July, the church was again attacked, and a wall, doors, and tin roofing were damaged.

The Christians were told to destroy the church themselves. However, the assistant pastor, Tubel Chakma Poran Adetion, said they refused to comply: “If we have to sacrifice our lives, we will. They threatened us to return to our old religion, but we will not return. Jesus Christ is our saviour. We will die for him.”

Pastor Adetion added that the church did not report the attacks to the police for security reasons: “We are a minority and Buddhists can do anything to us. We want to live in peace with them and discuss things with them.” However, the church may have to seek legal redress against the attackers if the standoff continues.

No mainstream media in Bangladesh reported the incident, but some people have posted about this on social media. The attackers have threatened serious consequences if the incident was shared with the media or the police.

Church leaders in Bangladesh are worried about the attacks. Rev. Leor P. Sarker, general secretary of the Bangladesh Baptist Church Fellowship, said he was concerned about the Suandrapara church members: “There are about 50. They live in fear. Most of them are staying away from their homes to protect their life after the attack. We are praying for the attackers, that they may change their way of thinking and let our people live there in peace.”

Christians represent only 0.4 percent of Bangladesh’s 166-million population, more than 90 percent of whom are Muslim. At the Chittagong Hill Tracts, however, there are roughly equal percentages of tribal peoples who mainly follow Theravada Buddhism and Bengalis who follow Islam. Open Doors ranks Bangladesh at number 31 on its 2021 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the greatest persecution.

Home Group Prayer

Lord Jesus!  May the light that sincere Buddhists seek be found through the gospel witness of the Suandrapara village church. Strengthen your followers, Lord, and let your perfect love cast out all fear. Confirm their witness with signs following. Help them find the people of peace whose hearts are ready to receive the good news of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Change the hearts of those who hate them and you. For you delight over your word to perform it. 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.