10/13/2021 Afghanistan (International Christian Concern) – According to Mission Network News (MMN), the Taliban has continued to crack down on free speech and media access in Afghanistan. The crackdown has affected Afghan Christians and their ability to access online ministries and Gospel materials.
MMN reports that restrictions on media access under Taliban rule have been worded so broadly that many journalists fear being imprisoned for simply doing their jobs. News organization must show their reports to the Taliban before publishing, and 30 journalists have already been arrested.
Like many other authoritarian governments, the Taliban doesn’t like people having access to the internet, MMN continued. In an interview with Denise Godwin of International Media Ministries, MMN shared how the Gospel is still making its way into Afghanistan despite the Taliban’s crackdown.
“Satellite is one of the ways that can’t be blocked in these regions of the world,” Godwin told MMN. “Now it can be illegal to own a satellite dish. There are a lot of rooftop gardens all over the Middle East that are hiding satellite dishes. The numbers are pretty incredible.”
“There is also an organization of Christian hackers, if you will, that work to get things back online when governments take them down,” Godwin continued. “People are working in a variety of ways. There’s also hand-to-hand delivery of digital files through Bluetooth. You can deliver videos to devices without connecting to the internet.”
Afghanistan’s small and secretive Christian community often depends on access to online Gospel materials and ministries for spiritual teaching and growth. The Taliban’s crackdown on accessing these materials is one of the many challenges faced by Afghan Christians following the collapse of the country.
For interviews, please contact Addison Parker: press@persecution.org.
