Christianity growing in Afghanistan

Pray that many more in Afghanistan will come to Christ.

Afghanistan, a country long suffering from civil wars, has not experienced peace for many years. Ongoing bombings by fundamentalist Muslims have stolen peace from the lives of Afghanis. However, the country has recently seen signs of change as people hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

According to Mohabat News, "Informed Afghan authorities acknowledge that Christianity has obtained a special place not only among youth, but also among various layers in society. (In addition), house churches are growing tremendously."

Further, an independent Shi'ite website in Iran reportedly quoted a knowledgeable Afghan official as saying, "There is evidence of widespread Christian propaganda in Afghanistan, and the existence of more than 10 churches that operate secretly in residential houses have been proven."

New reports indicate that some members of the country's parliament have embraced Christianity. A Farsi news service also published a report on these conversions, writing, "Evangelism and Christian propaganda is taking place in the country at a high level, but this is the first time that those who call themselves representatives of the Afghani people not only have become 'apostates' but have joined Christian ministries to evangelize. This time they want to present their Christian services to Muslim people through parliament."

Muslims make up the vast majority of Afghanistan's population at 99.85 per cent. Christians account for 0.05 per cent. While there is limited freedom to practice other religions, there is no freedom to propagate another faith or to convert from Islam.

Please pray for Afghanistan.

• Thank the Lord for the way He is working in this nation. 
• Ask Him to give Afghani Christians a strong and mature faith with a bold desire to share the gospel. 
• Pray the Lord will continue to work to bring many more to repentance. 
• Pray for protection of believers in Afghanistan.

For more on the trials Christians face in Afghanistan, please visit our Afghanistan Country Report.

Pulling out of Afghanistan may cause trouble for Christians

Obama's move to pull troops out of
Afghanistan could mean trouble
for Afghan Christians.

VOM USA’s Todd Nettleton was recently interviewed by Mission Network News (MNN) regarding the U.S. removal of troops from Afghanistan.

The president of the United States, Barack Obama, is bringing home 33,000 troops from Afghanistan over the next 15 months. That will leave about 70,000 troops in Afghanistan. While many welcome the announcement, others are sceptical about what that means for Afghans.

“There is not a great deal of confidence in the Afghan security forces to protect religious freedom,” said Nettleton.

The circumstances surround the U.S. removal of troops is reminiscent of Russia’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989. A believer in Afghanistan at the time told Nettleton, “The Taliban has shaved their beards, and they've taken off their black turbans, but they're still here.”

With fewer forces to oppose the Taliban, today’s Christians in Afghanistan are concerned they will increase in strength and things could get worse for believers.

“There is all likelihood that there will continue to be persecution of Christians; there will continue to be Christians who will be laying down their lives because of their faith,” said Nettleton.

Christians make up 0.05 per cent of Afghanistan’s population while Muslims make up over 99 per cent. There are fears that the overwhelming number of Muslims egged on by the Taliban could bode very badly for Afghan Christians.

“Their interpretation of being a devout Muslim means that they should attack Christians, that a person who leaves Islam is an apostate and deserves to be killed,” said Nettleton.

There are already signs of that extremist attitude gaining ground. Just days prior to President Obama’s announcement, a video of a Christian in Herat Province being beheaded by Afghan militants was released.

Nettleton also says that "one of the things to remember is that security comes ultimately from Christ, it comes ultimately from God. It's not from U.S. troops, from a gun, or from a big fence around our houses."

Pray for Afghanistan's Christians!

• Pray that Christians in Afghanistan will stand strong in their faith and reach out to their neighbours, despite their small numbers.
• Pray for a peaceful transition and for increased religious freedom.
• Pray for those in the Taliban. Pray that they will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

Christian released from prison in Afghanistan!

VOM sources have confirmed that an Afghan convert to Christianity was released from prison on March 31.

Shoaib Assadullah, 23, was imprisoned in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif. He was arrested in late October 2010 for giving a Bible to a friend.

While detained, Shoaib was physically abused and threatened with death by fellow prisoners. He refused to recant his faith in Christ in exchange for his freedom.

Thank the Lord for Shoaib's release! Pray for healing and strength for him, as he adjusts to life outside prison walls. Pray he will continue to entrust his life and future to the Lord. Pray for the release of other imprisoned Christians. Pray that believers in Afghanistan will stand strong in their faith and reach out to their neighbours, despite their small numbers.

Afghan Christian remains behind bars

Pray for Shoaib Assadullah who
remains imprisoned in Afghanistan.

An Afghan who was arrested for his conversion to Christianity remains behind bars one month after the release of Said Musa, another convert who was quietly granted asylum in Europe after an abusive nine-month imprisonment.

Shoaib Assadullah, 23, was arrested on October 21 in Mazar-e-Sharif for giving a Bible to a friend. While in prison, Shoaib described being physically abused and receiving death threats from fellow prisoners, reported International Christian Concern. He also fears he may face the death sentence for his conversion if he is summoned back to court.

While Afghanistan's constitution upholds freedom of religion, apostasy is tried under Islamic law and is punishable by death.

In a phone conversation with a friend on March 24, Shoaib said that he will not return to Islam in exchange for his freedom, but is willing to die for his Christian faith.

Please pray for the release of Shoaib Assadullah and pray for his protection while he is in prison. Ask the Lord to take away any fear and renew his strength. Pray the Lord will use the testimony of this faithful Christian brother to encourage the faith of secret believers throughout the country.

You can post a prayer for Shoaib or persecuted Christians in general on VOM's Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.

Afghan convert Said Musa released!

Said Musa has been released!

After intense diplomatic pressure, authorities released Afghan Christian Said Musa, who had been in prison for nearly nine months on charges of apostasy (leaving Islam), punishable by death under Islamic law, reports Compass Direct News.

VOM sources have confirmed Said’s freedom. Praise the Lord!

A source in Afghanistan told Compass that the 46-year-old Musa (alternately spelled Sayyed Mussa) was released last week and had left the country on February 21, but the date of his release was not clear.

Musa had written a series of letters from his prison cell, the last one dated February 13, according to Compass sources. In that letter Musa, an amputee and a father of six, said that representatives of embassies in Kabul visited him and offered him asylum.

After the representatives left, according to the letter, Musa was taken to another room where three Afghan officials tried to convince him to recant his faith. They promised to release him from prison within 24 hours if he would do so. He refused and was sent back to his cell.

“I told them I cannot [follow] Islam,” he wrote in his letter. “I am Jesus Christ’s servant. They pushed me much and much. I refused their demands.”

Details of Musa’s release remained confidential in order to protect him and his family, who still remain in danger, sources said.

Praise God for Said’s release! Pray the Lord will swiftly reconnect him with his family. Pray for their safety and well-being and that Said would be encouraged to continue standing up for his faith in Jesus Christ.

Also, continue praying for fellow Afghan Christian Shoaib Assadullah, who has been in a holding jail in a district of Mazar-e-Sharif, in northern Afghanistan, since October. A recent letter from him suggests that his life is in danger. Assadullah was arrested on October 21 for giving a New Testament to a man who then reportedly turned him in to authorities.

Compass Direct reports that Assadullah, who has no legal representation, has also been pushed to recant his faith. Authorities have tried to build a case that he is insane in order to explain his change of faith and possibly to justify a more lenient sentence for him, sources have said. Sources said that there are diplomatic efforts underway for the secure release of Assadullah.

Christian Convert from Islam facing execution in Afghanistan

Pray for Said Musa's release.

Said Musa, who was imprisoned in Afghanistan for converting from Islam to Christianity, is reportedly facing execution.

In the second week of February, an Afghan judge allegedly informed Said that he would be hanged within days if he did not renounce his faith in Christ and reconvert to Islam.

A 15-year employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kabul, Afghanistan, Said was arrested on May 31, 2010, after a television station in Kabul broadcast images that allegedly showed Western Christians baptizing Afghans. Since his arrest, he has remained in Kabul Detention Center, where he has reportedly suffered sexual assault and torture and been denied access to a lawyer.

Godfrey Yogarajah, the Executive Director of The Religious Liberty Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance, recently called attention to the illegal and unjust treatment of Said. "The arrest of Said in the first place and the subsequent demands for death for apostasy violate at least three provisions of the Constitution of Afghanistan," he said.

Said's trial is reportedly the first for apostasy that has reached near execution since the Taliban's fall.

Pray for God's enduring comfort and peace for Said in prison. Pray that, even in chains, he will exalt and praise the Lord. Pray for his release. Pray also for Said's wife and six children, who fled to Pakistan after his arrest, that they, too, will continue to find strength in Christ.

Execution trial of Afghan convert is illegal

Said Musa's arrest violates
Afghanistan Constitution says
WEA-RLC.

In early December 2010, we introduced you to Said Musa, an Afghan citizen and 15-year employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kabul, Afghanistan. Said was arrested on May 31, 2010, for converting to Christianity from Islam and has been imprisoned ever since.

Said, 45, was arrested after a television station in the capital city of Kabul broadcast images that allegedly showed Westerner Christians baptizing Afghans. Since the May 2010 telecast, Said has remained in Kabul Detention Center and suffered sexual assault and torture with apparently no access to a lawyer to defend him.

Last week, an Afghan judge told Said he had days to reconvert to Islam or be executed.

On Saturday, The Religious Liberty Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance reported that Said’s trial violates the Constitution of Afghanistan (2004) and must be stopped.

“The arrest of Said in the first place and the subsequent demands for death for apostasy violate at least three provisions of the Constitution of Afghanistan, leave aside the illegality of the inhuman treatment meted out to him in the prison,” said WEA-RLC Executive Director Godfrey Yogarajah.

Article 130 of the Constitution states that courts can rely on the Shariah law as per the Hanafi jurisprudence only within the limits of the Constitution and only if a “pending” case does not relate to any provisions in the Constitution or any other law, Yogarajah said.

A case can be pending only is it is first registered under a law, but apostasy is not a crime recognized in the Constitution or any other statutory law, Yogarajah pointed out.

Additionally, Afghanistan is a signatory (1983) to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

The three clauses under Article 18 of the ICCPR state:

1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
2. No one shall be subject to coercion, which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.
3. Freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.

While Article 3 of the Constitution says that no law can be contrary to “the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam,” this is a contradiction the earlier constitutions of the country had since 1923. But after the inclusion of Article 7, which carries a pledge to abide by international conventions, in the 2004 Constitution, the interpretation of Article 3 needs to be reformulated in light of the glaring contradiction, said Yogarajah.

The addition of the provision of Article 7 in the 2004 Constitution was surely not without a purpose, and nor was it an oversight. It was indisputably added to increase the nation’s commitment and compliance to international standards of civil rights.

“Calls for the death of an alleged apostate by extremist elements are understandable, but when the administration seeks death penalty for a convert by the misuse of the vagueness in laws, it raises serious concerns,” said Yogarajah.

Said, whose wife and six children fled to Pakistan after his arrest, is the first trial for apostasy that has reached near execution since the Taliban’s fall. But it is hoped and prayed that the administration of Afghanistan will do nothing that will denote an utter failure of the new regime as well as the international community.

Please pray for Said Musa and his family!

Afghan Christian faces potential death sentence for apostasy; send letters

Pray for Afghan believers!

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that a judge has given an Afghan convert from Islam to Christianity one week to renounce his faith, or else be sentenced with the death penalty or up to 20 years’ imprisonment, reports ASSIST News Service. The verdict is expected this week.

“Shoaib Assadullah was arrested on October 21 in Mazar-e-Sharif for giving a Bible to a man who later reported him to local authorities. He is currently in a prison in Mazar-e-Sharif, in northern Afghanistan,” said an ICC spokesperson. “ICC sources closely following the case tell us that at a court hearing on December 28, Assadullah was told to recant Christianity and return to Islam.”

Shoaib said he was quite certain that the court officials will give him the death penalty. He said he has given his life completely into the hands of Jesus. He is happy for the spiritual fight, saying, “Without my faith I would not be able to live.”

An ICC source in Mazar-e-Sharif was told by a court official today that Shoaib was to be summoned to court this morning at 10 a.m. local time.

You can read the full report here.

Afghanistan is a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). According to article 18, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

Please consider writing to the Afghanistan embassy in Canada to express your concern.

His Excellency Jawed Ludin
Ambassador of Afghanistan in Canada
Embassy of Afghanistan in Canada
240 Argyle Ave.
Ottawa, ON K2P 1B9

You can download a letter-writing guide (includes Prisoners List) here.

Please pray for Shoaib’s release. Pray that God will strengthen him and his family during this difficult time. Pray that God will touch the hearts of Afghan officials who are overseeing Shoaib’s case.

Afghan authorities block lawyer from visiting jailed Christian

Said Musa
(Photo courtesy
Release International)

Last week, we told you about Said Musa, an Afghanistan Christian who was arrested in May after video footage, showing Afghan Christians being baptised and participating in prayer gatherings, was televised nationally. The broadcast triggered protests throughout the country along with calls to execute Christians.

Said (alternatively spelled Sayed Mossa) is a father of six and an amputee with a prosthetic leg. Since his arrest, he has been tortured, abused and threatened with death. He has been unable to find an Afghan lawyer willing to represent him, and his family has been unable to access his file that includes the charges against him.

His trial, which was to take place on November 21, was postponed.

Compass Direct News is reporting today that, two weeks ago, a Christian lawyer traveled to Kabul on behalf of Christian legal rights organization Advocates International to represent Said. Authorities denied the lawyer access to Said and to his indictment file.

“If a man is not entitled to define his own beliefs, and to change those ideas, under the existing constitutional order of Afghanistan, then how is this government more moral than the Taliban’s?” the lawyer said in an email to Compass Direct News.

Said finally appeared before a judge on November 27 and without prior notice. Rejecting the case file as deficient, the judge sent it to the attorney general’s office for corrections, according to the lawyer. The lawyer said he has deduced that the file was missing a formal indictment and other “incriminating” evidence.

Afghan law says that Said is entitled to see a copy of the indictment and review the evidence against him, but authorities have denied him both rights. If the prosecutor does not present the court with an indictment within 15 days of arrest, the lawyer said, an accused person has the right to be released.

You can read the full report here.

Please continue to pray for Said Musa’s release from prison and for his safety and well-being. Pray that he will remain courageous and willing to share the love of Christ with those around him.

Afghan Christian imprisoned; send letters

Said Musa is currently
imprisoned in Kabul.

Release International is reporting that Said Musa (Sayed Mossa in some reports), an Afghan citizen and 15-year employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kabul, Afghanistan, was arrested on May 31, 2010, for converting to Christianity from Islam. His trial, which was to take place on November 21, has been postponed.

Said was arrested after video footage, showing Afghan Christians being baptised and participating in prayer gatherings, was televised nationally. The broadcast triggered protests throughout the country along with calls to execute Christians. Since his arrest, Said has been illegally imprisoned, tortured, abused and threatened with death because of his Christian faith.

A father of six and an amputee with a prosthetic leg, Said wrote in a letter from Oullayat prison in Kabul that he had been beaten, forcibly deprived of sleep and sexually abused by prisoners. He added that Afghan judicial officers granted him no protection and, at times, encouraged the abuse.

Afghanistan is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 18 states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

VOM encourages you, along with Release International, to write a letter of concern to Afghan officials.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai
Email: hussain.rahimi@gmail.com

His Excellency Jawed Ludin
Ambassador of Afghanistan in Canada
Embassy of Afghanistan in Canada
240 Argyle Ave.
Ottawa, ON K2P 1B9
Phone: 613-563-4223, ext 226

Download a letter-writing guide (includes Prisoners List) here.

Please pray for Said's release. Pray that God will strengthen him and his family during this difficult time. Pray that God will touch the hearts of Afghan officials who are overseeing Said's case.