10/10/2018 Afghanistan (International Christian Concern) – The country of Afghanistan remains one of the world’s most hostile nations to Christianity. According to the Open Doors World Watch List, Afghanistan ranks as the second most difficult country for Christians in the world, only falling behind North Korea.
According to Afghanistan’s constitution and government policy, the country is an Islamic nation and the practice of non-Islamic faiths is either illegal or severely limited. Nearly all of Afghanistan’s Christians are converts from Islam and risk serious danger if their new faith identity is uncovered. Being discovered as a follower of Jesus can lead to the loss of property, beatings, and even death at the hands of one’s own family members.
Due to this intense persecution, many Afghan Christians are forced to flee the country and seek refuge in nearby India. In the metropolises of New Delhi, India’s capital, a community of Afghan Christian refugees has banded together to practice their new found faith and await relocation by the United Nation’s High Council on Refugees (UNHCR). For some, the UNHCR resettlement process can take as long as ten years.
Although India is relatively safer for Afghan Christians, they remain a vulnerable community. As refugees, they have little access to India’s justice system and are often targeted by criminals. Still, many remain committed to their new found faith in Jesus and patiently await they day when they will be able to practice Christianity freely.
For interviews with William Stark, ICC’s Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org.
