Pressures appear to be growing from the U.S.-backed government in Kabul against any manifestation of Christianity in Afghanistan by Afghan citizens or by citizens of other nations who are working in the troubled central Asian nation, according to World Magazine’s Mindy Belz.
Afghan Christians make up a tiny minority of the officially Muslim nation’s population. The Afghanistan constitution adopted in 2004 with substantial U.S. input and backing affirms the right of all persons to practice their religious faiths. But the latter is qualified by saying such practices must be conducted within the provisions of Afghan law, which effectively means Sharia, the repressive Muslim code that makes practicing any non-Muslim religion a crime punishable by death.
Under the Taliban prior to the U.S. invasion in 2001 following 9/11, public executions were not uncommon, including those of people convicted of apostasy from the official Muslim state religion.
That is why some Christian groups and international human rights groups were alarmed recently by the arrest of two people who appeared in a local TV broadcast in May allegedly showing the baptism of an Afghani into the Christian faith. The televised event actually occurred two years ago, but the May broadcast sparked an outburst of student demonstrations and calls by members of the Afghan parliament for public executions of the arrested pair.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai also announced earlier this month new efforts by the Kabul government to prevent Christian missionary activities within the country. Lists of individuals allegedly associated with such advocacy were drawn by government officials, thus raising the specter of further arrests.
As Belz reports, that could complicate things for both the UN and the U.S. government, which inevitably will have to take a position on the issue of religious tolerance – and not just for Christians, but also Hindus and other lesser known Asian religious groups.
“According to sources, authorities drew up a list of 14 NGOs and 25 or more foreign and local Christians to be investigated for Christian activity. A statement released Friday by Barnabas Fund, a U.K.-based aid group, reports that authorities have searched homes in Kabul, and dozens of Afghan Christians have fled their towns, some even leaving the country.
“Several NGOs also report that they have been visited by security officials, and in some cases asked to record for the government the names of all employees. WORLD began receiving information about the crackdown at that time, but at the request of several organizations concerned about the safety of their employees and of local Christians agreed not to publish the information then.”
The Examiner has requested a statement from the U.S. State Department on the official U.S. position in light of these recent developments regarding the right, if any, of Afghan citizens and citizens of other nations working in Afghanistan to practice religion freely without fear of official interference.
You can read the balance of Belz’ report in World Magazine here.
