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Afghanistan

• MP Seeks Execution of Afghan Christian Converts

  Pray for the safety and success of evangelistic efforts in Afghanistan.

  A member of Afghanistan's parliament has stated that, according to Sharia Law, all who have converted from Islam to Christianity should be executed in order to stop the rapid growth of Christianity among Afghans...both within the country and beyond it. The Afghani MP, Nazir Ahmad Hanafi, stated in a published report (Ava): "Numerous Afghanis have become Christians in India. This is an offence to Islamic Laws and, according to the Quran, they need to be executed."

• Christianity growing

  Pray that many more in Afghanistan will come to Christ.

  Afghanistan, a country long suffering from civil wars, has not experienced peace for many years. Ongoing bombings by fundamentalist Muslims have stolen peace from the lives of Afghanis. However, the country has recently seen signs of change as people hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

  According to Mohabat News, "Informed Afghan authorities acknowledge that Christianity has obtained a special place not only among youth, but also among various layers in society. (In addition), house churches are growing tremendously." Further, an independent Shi'ite website in Iran reportedly quoted a knowledgeable Afghan official as saying, "There is evidence of widespread Christian propaganda in Afghanistan, and the existence of more than 10 churches that operate secretly in residential houses have been proven."

  New reports indicate that some members of the country's parliament have embraced Christianity. A Farsi news service also published a report on these conversions, writing, "Evangelism and Christian propaganda is taking place in the country at a high level, but this is the first time that those who call themselves representatives of the Afghani people not only have become 'apostates' but have joined Christian ministries to evangelize. This time they want to present their Christian services to Muslim people through parliament."

  Muslims make up the vast majority of Afghanistan's population at 99.85 per cent. Christians account for 0.05 per cent. While there is limited freedom to practice other religions, there is no freedom to propagate another faith or to convert from Islam.

  Thank the Lord for the way He is working in this nation. Ask Him to give Afghani Christians a strong and mature faith with a bold desire to share the gospel. Pray the Lord will continue to work to bring many more to repentance. Pray for protection of believers in Afghanistan.

  For more on the trials Christians face in Afghanistan, please visit the Afghanistan Country Report.

• Update: Christian released from prison

  An Afghan convert to Christianity was reportedly released from prison on March 31. Shoaib Assadullah, 23, was imprisoned in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif. He was arrested in late October 2010 for giving a Bible to a friend (click here for more information). While detained, Shoaib was physically abused and threatened with death by fellow prisoners. He refused to recant his faith in Christ in exchange for his freedom.

  Thank the Lord for Shoaib's release! Pray for healing and strength for him, as he adjusts to life outside prison walls. Pray he will continue to entrust his life and future to the Lord. Pray for the release of other imprisoned Christians. Pray that believers in Afghanistan will stand strong in their faith and reach out to their neighbours, despite their small numbers.

  Learn more about the trials facing Christians in Afghanistan by visiting the Afghanistan Country Report.

• Christian remains behind bars

  An Afghan who was arrested for his conversion to Christianity remains behind bars one month after the release of Said Musa, another convert who was quietly granted asylum in Europe after an abusive nine-month imprisonment. Shoaib Assadullah, 23, was arrested on October 21 in Mazar-e-Sharif for giving a Bible to a friend. While in prison, Assadullah described being physically abused and receiving death threats from fellow prisoners. He also fears he may face the death sentence for his conversion if he is summoned back to court. While Afghanistan's constitution upholds freedom of religion, apostasy is tried under Islamic law and is punishable by death.

  In a phone conversation with a friend on March 24, Assadullah said that he will not return to Islam in exchange for his freedom, but is willing to die for his Christian faith.

  Please pray for the release of Shoaib Assadullah and pray for his protection while he is in prison. Ask the Lord to take away any fear and renew his strength. Pray the Lord will use the testimony of this faithful Christian brother to encourage the faith of secret believers throughout the country.

  Learn more about the trials facing Christians in Afghanistan by visiting theAfghanistan Country Report.

• Update: Christian released from prison

  Said Musa released!

  After intense diplomatic pressure, authorities have released Said Musa, 46, a convert from Islam to Christianity who was imprisoned in May 2010 on charges of apostasy (for more information, click here). The date of Said's release was not clear at last report, but it is known that he left the country on February 21. Said wrote a series of letters from his prison cell. In the last letter, dated February 13, he revealed that representatives of embassies in Kabul visited him and offered him asylum. He was later taken to another room where three Afghan officials tried to convince him to recant his faith, promising him that he would be released within 24 hours if he complied. Said, however, stood firm in his faith. "I told them I cannot [follow] Islam," he wrote in his letter. "I am Jesus Christ's servant. They pushed me much and much. I refused their demands." Details of Said's release remained confidential in order to protect him and his family, who reportedly still remain in danger.

  Praise the Lord for Said's release! Pray the Lord will swiftly reconnect him with his family. Pray that he and his family will continue to look to Christ as their provider, guardian and Saviour.

  You can find out more about the sufferings of Christians in Afghanistan at theAfghanistan Country Report.

• Update: Christian Convert from Islam facing execution

  Said Musa

  Said Musa, who was imprisoned for converting from Islam to Christianity, is reportedly facing execution. A 15-year employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kabul, Afghanistan, Said, 45, was arrested on May 31, 2010, after a television station in Kabul broadcast images that allegedly showed Western Christians baptizing Afghans. Since his arrest, he has remained in Kabul Detention Center, where he has reportedly suffered sexual assault and torture and been denied access to a lawyer.

  In the second week of February, an Afghan judge reportedly informed Said that he would be hanged within days if he did not renounce his faith in Christ and reconvert to Islam. Godfrey Yogarajah, the Executive Director of The Religious Liberty Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance, recently called attention to the illegal and unjust treatment of Said. "The arrest of Said in the first place and the subsequent demands for death for apostasy violate at least three provisions of the Constitution of Afghanistan," he said. Said's trial is reportedly the first for apostasy that has reached near execution since the Taliban's fall.

  Pray for God's enduring comfort and peace for Said in prison. Pray that, even in chains, he will exalt and praise his Lord -- a God of compassion, justice and truth. Pray for his release. Pray also for Said's wife and six children, who fled to Pakistan after his arrest, that they, too, will continue to find strength in Christ.

  To find out more about the opposition facing followers of Christ in Afghanistan, go to theAfghanistan Country Report.

• Ongoing investigation of aid workers killed

  Tom Little, team leader Photo from International Assistance Mission

  Several weeks ago, world news agencies reported the killing of a team of eye medics, including eight Christian aid workers, in a remote area of Afghanistan on August 6. The team of two Afghan helpers and eight Christian foreigners worked for the International Assistance Mission (IAM), a non-profit Christian organization registered as such in Afghanistan since 1966. Investigation by Afghan authorities on who is responsible for the deaths and what have been the motives still continues. According to the Associated Press, a Taliban spokesman said they had killed the aid workers because they were spies and were "preaching Christianity." The Executive Director of IAM rejected the initial report that the attacks were a result of a robbery. In recent months, experts have expressed concern over political threats against local Christians and that these latest incidents have the potential to intimidate local and foreign Christians in Afghanistan even further. (Sources: World Evangelical Alliance, Compass Direct)

  Please pray for the protection of Christians in Afghanistan. Pray the Lord will give the small Christian community in this nation a spirit of faithfulness and confidence. Ask the Lord to use this recent tragedy to accomplish His purposes in Afghanistan (Rom. 8:28).

  Please visit theAfghanistan Country Report for more information about persecution in Afghanistan.

• Christian charity worker murdered

  Gayle Williams Photo fromSERVE Afghanistan

  Gayle Williams (34), a dual South African-British citizen, was shot to death by two gunmen on a motorbike in Kabul, Afghanistan at approximately 8:00 a.m. on October 20.

  The Taliban claimed responsibility for the killing, saying that she "came to Afghanistan to teach Christianity to the people." Williams worked with SERVE (Serving Emergency Relief and Vocational Enterprise), a Christian organization that helps the disabled.

  Thank God for organizations like SERVE that demonstrate Christ-like love to their communities. Pray for comfort for those grieving the loss of Gayle. Pray that those in militant groups come to know Christ's love in their lives.

  To learn more about the persecution Christians face in Afghanistan, click here. To view a news video on this incident click here.

• Islamic Scholars Call for Crackdown on Christians in Algeria and Afghanistan Christians came under fire in Algeria and Afghanistan in recent weeks by Islamic scholars who have called for government crackdowns on Christian activity in the countries.

  In Afghanistan, members of the Afghanistan Islamic Council warned President Hamid Karzai not to allow foreign missions into the country, especially to the impoverished areas. The council claimed that missionaries in Kabul and in the provinces were forcibly converting Muslims, enticing them by giving them Bibles and promising to send them abroad. The Islamic scholars warned of serious consequences if the government did not stop Christians from preaching and evangelizing.

  In Algeria, the head of the Algerian Association of Muslim Scholars, Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Al-Shayban, called on officials to counter Christian missionary campaigns, claiming they had "reached the point of aggressions against Algerians." According to the Arabic TV station, "Al Arabiya," Shayban called for the crackdown under the religious practice law for non-Muslims, claiming that Christians in tribal villages give people money and university scholarships for converting to Christianity and that the Protestant church rewards its clergy for every Muslim that is converted.

  Ask God to thwart the attempts of those who seek to hinder His work in Afghanistan and Algeria. Pray that His servants in these countries will be emboldened to carry on their service to Christ wherever God leads them. Pray that those who accuse Christians of forcible conversion will see that that the Gospel message is one of a free gift, not coercion (Ephesians 2:8-9).

  For more information on the persecution of Christians in these countries, go to Afghanistan's Country Report and Algeria's Country Report.

• Remaining Korean Hostages Released

  

  As of last Thursday, August 30, the last of the nineteen hostages held by the Taliban were released. Upon returning home, a medical examiner reported that some male hostages had been beaten by their captors. Apparently they had been beaten for refusing to take part in Islamic prayers or to convert to Islam and for protecting female captives. Two of them, Je Chang-Hee and Song Byung-Woo, were beaten or threatened with death when they refused to move out of a dugout shelter and leave some of their female colleagues behind. They have reportedly fully recuperated from the attacks.

  On Monday, South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun ordered the former captives to repay some of the costs of their rescue. Public rejoicing at the release of the hostages has shifted to criticism and anger at the Saemmul Community Church for sending the team of volunteers into a hostile Muslim country.

  Pray that these ex-hostages will fully recuperate from their ordeal. Pray for the leadership of the Saemmul Community Church as they face public hostility. Pray that the threats by the Taliban to kidnap others will come to nothing.

  For more information on the difficulties facing Christianity in Afghanistan, click here. Check out Glenn Penner's blogs on the fallout of the concessions made by the South Korean government to secure the release of the hostages.