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October 5, 2021
Dear John,
Since we wrote about Afghanistan in our last letter to you, the situation for our brothers and sisters there has grown far more dangerous. That's why we are asking you, once again, to urgently pray for the endangered Christians in Afghanistan this month.
It has become a matter of life and death.
Even before America's hasty and catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, the country was listed by Open Doors' World Watch List as the second-worst persecutor of Christians, after North Korea. Nearly all of the 10,000-12,000 believers in Afghanistan, who meet in secret underground churches, have converted from Islam to Christianity. That means they are facing a de facto death sentence. According to the radical Islamist ideology of the Taliban, the terror group that now rules the country, Afghan Christians' decision to follow Jesus is a crime that demands capital punishment.
Afghanistan's Christians are in grave peril, and they need our prayers and support. For example, Family Research Council recently learned about a family of four - young parents and two little boys, one an infant - who were anxiously driving night and day, trying to reach a bordering country and flee across the border. They were rejected twice by immigration officers and sent back to their fate. The father is a convert from Islam who had bravely started churches and spoken openly of his faith. A family member exposed him to the Taliban. He panicked during his attempted escape and turned off his phone for several days, meanwhile finding no safe place to hide. Finally, when he reached out again to American Christians, they were able to help him find an unexpected way to fly out of the country with his family. The many prayers for that little family were powerfully answered.
Today, another much larger Afghan family is awaiting word about a possible flight that might accept at-risk Christians with passports. The father - whose brother was recently murdered by the Taliban - speaks no English. But somehow, his young daughter was able to reach out for help. And, once again, it was prayerful and persistent believers who were able to work internationally and help them find a way of escape.
We know that there are still thousands of Afghan Christians in grave danger. Some are on the run, others are in hiding, and a few are awaiting flights or other routes of escape. But many are simply trapped in their homes, waiting for the knock at the door when the Taliban finally tracks them down.
Will you join us in prayer for these Christians? Their circumstances are dire, and their options are few. But we have seen that prayer on their behalf makes a difference.
For more on what's unfolding in Afghanistan, see FRC's recent resources:
In His Name,
Lela Gilbert
Senior Fellow for International Religious Freedom
Arielle Del Turco
Assistant Director of the Center for Religious Liberty
"Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them..."
Hebrews 13:3
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