More than 99 percent of Afghanistan’s 39 million people are Muslim, and the Taliban works to flush out and punish those who don’t conform to a strict interpretation of Islam, ICC said in its report. The Taliban confiscates phones of suspected Christians and monitors mosques to determine who’s not attending regular prayers.
“Before Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, Christian pastors experienced a relatively safe environment to proselytize in their respective communities. Threats from Islamic radicals were prevalent but less egregious during the war following 9/11,” ICC said. “However, the current reign of Taliban extremism in Afghanistan has presented a much more challenging context for Christians in terms of continuing to proselytize.”
ICC pinpointed church leaders, women, ethnic minorities and former public service employees as among the most vulnerable under Taliban rule. Humanitarian aid is “incredibly limited,” ICC said, with bank transfers impossible and the accessibility of cash at receiving locations unreliable.
“Any leadership role within a church necessitates, at minimum, welcoming newcomers, providing spiritual guidance, and coordinating logistics. Since conversion to Christianity is not allowed, a Christian leader serving another Christian can be viewed as proselytizing even if proselytization never occurred,” ICC said in its report. “A relative angry with their family member’s Christian identity can seek out the names of other believers. The angry family member can subsequently report those names to the Taliban. Thus, anyone who has accepted a leadership role within the church places themselves at significant risk.”
The international community can help by finding sustainable ways for refugees to care for themselves, and by denying diplomatic recognition to the Taliban unless the regime guarantees human rights for all Afghans, regardless of religious affiliation, ICC said.
“The Taliban claims to be tolerant, but they are one of the worst oppressors of Christians and have a long track record of brutal crimes against vulnerable minorities,” ICC said. “Despite hopes to the contrary, the world has seen a collapse of fundamental human rights such as women’s rights, religious freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to assemble” and other freedoms.
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