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Open Doors Youth, PO Box 6, Witney, Oxon, UK, OX29 6WG

+44 (0) 1993 460015 / youth@opendoorsuk.org

We serve Christians around the world whose brave faith in Jesus means they are, beaten, threatened, imprisoned, tortured, falsely accused, disowned and hated.

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Afghanistan

World Watch List ranking: 10

How many Christians?

Thousands (in a population of 43 million)

Leader

Taliban Leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada

SUMMARY

In Afghanistan, believers must keep their faith a secret. Most will have converted from Islam. In doing so, they risk being known as traitors, facing threats, violence and worse for their choice.

EVERY £8

Could provide a young person from Central Asia with a Bible in their own language

EVERY £26

Could provide trauma care for a victim of violent persecution

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“I continue to be a servant of Christ, following His example of humility and greatness. In the difficult Taliban regime, we face challenges, but with strong faith, we persevere.”

Khada*, secret Christian from Afghanistan

Afghanistan: QUICK FACTS

  • The Taliban have said they will kill any Christians, and have gone door-to-door to find believers. Afghan church leaders were specifically targeted; many have disappeared, while others have been beaten, tortured and killed.  
  • Any existing house churches remain deeply underground, and Christians live under relentless pressure. 
  • If converts from Islam are discovered, the family, clan or tribe may try to preserve its so-called ‘honour’ and oppose the convert through pressure, violence or even murder. 
  • Women have no rights in Afghanistan, and women from religious minorities are especially vulnerable to physical abuse, house arrest, forced marriage or sexual enslavement. 
  • Given that men and boys have greater freedom of movement, they are additionally vulnerable to kidnapping, sexual violence or killing in the streets. 

Afghanistan: WHY ARE CHRISTIANS PERSECUTED?

The Taliban exerts total control over Afghanistan and there is no religious freedom to follow any faith outside their extremely hardline version of Islam. 

In Afghanistan, leaving Islam is considered shameful by family and community, and conversion is punishable by death under Islamic law – which has been increasingly enforced since the Taliban took control of the country in 2021. 

Women and ethnic minorities experience additional oppression, so Christians among these groups live under unthinkable pressure. 

AFGHANISTAN: MORE DETAIL

Who is particularly vulnerable?

Converts from Islam are most vulnerable to persecution in Afghanistan: since most of the Christians in the country are converts, the whole underground church is at risk. There is no safe place in Afghanistan for followers of Jesus.  

YASAMAN’S STORY

Yasaman* grew up a Muslim, like every Afghan person is expected to. She married 11 years ago, and she and her husband had five children – then, two-and-a-half years ago, he chose to follow Jesus. “He always tried to share his faith with me, but I was initially uninterested and often argued with him,” Yasaman remembers. “Our relationship grew strained, and I even contemplated divorce, taking our children to my father’s house.” While women would usually have few rights in Afghanistan, her husband’s conversion meant he had even fewer. 

That changed when Yasaman had a dream about reading the Bible. “This dream deeply affected me, prompting me to ask my husband for a Bible – after reading it, I experienced a profound change within me, feeling a new energy and embracing faith.” 

 

The couple kept their faith secret from almost everyone, but somehow some people worked it out – and they wanted to do Christians harm. “Our home was located near a mosque, and some people grew suspicious of my husband’s [Christian] activities,” says Yasaman. “Early one morning, as he went to buy bread, two people followed him. He was attacked and killed near our home. I was devastated and felt alone and weak.” 

Even before the Taliban takeover, converting from Islam to Christianity was extremely dangerous in Afghanistan, and sharing the gospel is even more so. But Yasaman is determined. “A fellow believer and his family came to visit, providing spiritual support and encouraging me to continue my husband’s work in God’s path,” she says. “I found solace in their support, and my faith grew stronger. I started sharing the gospel with others. 

What has changed in the last year?

Afghanistan remains at number 10 on the World Watch List, and has risen one point in persecution score due to an increase in reports of violence and pressure in various spheres of life for Christians. 

More positively, the underground church reports more interest in Christianity from a population who are disaffected with Islam – particularly from younger people. 

HOW OPEN DOORS IS HELPING

Because of the risks faced by our partners and the people they serve, we are restricted in the information we can provide about Afghanistan. 

“People are curious, especially the younger generation – they are tired of Islam and what the Taliban is doing.”

Mohammad*, secret Christian from Afghanistan

PRAY NOW...

Heavenly Father, Afghanistan is one of those places where it seems like nothing ever gets better. We grieve and mourn with our family there, and ask You to bring them comfort. But we also ask You will bring about miraculous hope and growth – that people will find You, that underground believers will remain supernaturally hidden, that the gospel would spread. We know You can do this, and ask You to do so. In Jesus’s name, Amen. 

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