Afghanistan

Afghanistan held its first democratic elections in October 2004. Hamad Karzai, a member of the Pashtun Tribe, was selected to lead the country. That election and a parliamentary election in October 2005, brought new hope to the Afghan people who had experienced war and violence since the Soviet invasion in December 1979.

Religion: Muslim 97.89%, Parsee 1.5%, Hindu 0.35%, Traditional ethnic 0.10%, Baha’I 0.10%, Christian 0.02%, Sikh 0.02%, and non-Religious 0.01%

Ideological Influence: A new constitution was signed in January 2004. It recognizes Islam as the official state religion and does not acknowledge the existence of Christians in Afghanistan.

Head of State: President Hamid Karzai

Persecution: Christians say public persecution by the government disappeared with the Taliban, but they are still not free to practice their faith openly without facing persecution from radical Muslims.

Missionary Opportunity: Considered one of the least reached countries of the world, Afghanistan has 48,000 mosques and no church buildings. There are 70 unreached people groups. Fifty languages are spoken, but only two have a New Testament and three have only portions of the Bible.

The Voice of the Martyrs The ongoing trial in Kabul of Abdul Rahman, a 41-year-old Afghan Christian, reminds Americans that though Afghanistan has been freed from Taliban control, true freedom of worship does not exist there. He faces a possible death sentence for converting to Christianity. Rahman reportedly became a Christian 16 years ago while working with a Christian aid group in Pakistan. His conversion became public because of a custody dispute involving his two daughters. Recent media reports suggest that charges against Rahman may be dropped due to questions about his mental fitness for trial. VOM sources say that he has suffered from depression in the past. The mental issues may give the Afghan legal system a face-saving way out in a case that has drawn international attention and criticism. The new Constitution of Afghanistan proclaims that "followers of other religions (other than Islam) are free to exercise their faith and perform their religious rites within the limits of the provisions of law." But the same document declares that, "the religion of the state is the sacred religion of Islam," and that Sharia Law is the controlling legal authority. “In the United States, we talk about the separation of church and state,” said Todd Nettleton, Director of News Services for The Voice of the Martyrs. “But in an Islamic country there is no separation. Islam controls not just religion, but also politics, legal issues and all of life. And Islamic law simply does not allow a person to leave Islam and follow another faith.” VOM contacts estimate that there are between 1,000 and 3,000 born-again Christians in Afghanistan, and say other Christians are watching Rahman’s case closely. Compass Direct has reported that two more Christians have been arrested since Rahman’s story broke, and a third was beaten badly. “The Afghan government recognizes that Afghans can be Hindus, and can be Sikhs, and in one case even recognizes they can be Jewish,” said Nettleton. “But they do not recognize Afghan Christians. Our brothers and sisters there have no legal standing, and that has got to change. American soldiers didn’t go to Afghanistan and lay down their lives so that Christians could be persecuted; they fought and died so that Afghans could truly have freedom.” The Voice of the Martyrs encourages American Christians to pray for Abdul Rahman, and other believers in Afghanistan. In addition, Christians should write their representatives in the U.S. government to ask them to press for Rahman’s release. Finally, polite letters of protest can be addressed to the Afghan ambassador to the United States at the following address: Said T. Jawad Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Afghanistan Embassy of Afghanistan 2341 Wyoming Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20008 Tel: 202.483.6410 Fax: 202.483.6488 Info@embassyofafghanistan.org “Our hope is that this case and the attention it generates will lead Christians around the world to pray for revival in Afghanistan,” said Nettleton.