Kabul Afghanistan
Christians in Afghanistan Say They “Feel Abandoned by the World”
For Immediate Release (Westlake Village, CA) — Christian Solidarity International (CSI) has learned from local sources in Afghanistan that the small Christian community may be in grave danger amid claims of an attack on an underground church. Afghanistan’s small Christian community remains almost entirely invisible in international media reporting, despite the global concern that has arisen after the Taliban’s introduction of new laws permitting domestic violence and recognizing forms of enslavement.
Around 24 Afghan Christians from the Hazara ethnic community were killed near Bamiyan city in central Afghanistan in late January, a source in direct contact with that group has told CSI. The source said two girls were abducted during the attack and the house used for secret worship was burned down. While the identities of the attackers remain unclear, the source said that Taliban authorities had identified the group as converts to Christianity.
The larger Bamiyan region, where this city is situated, is historically associated with the Hazara ethnic group that is largely Shi’a Muslim. This community has long faced persecution from extremist Sunni groups that regard them as religious outsiders. The latest victims were Hazara converts who had secretly adopted Christianity, according to the source.
Christians in Afghanistan almost entirely consist of converts from Islam. Before the United States withdrew its troops and the Taliban seized power in August 2021, estimates suggested that about 20,000 Afghan Christians lived in the country, most of them practicing quietly in small underground fellowships.
Since the Taliban takeover, however, thousands have fled or were evacuated through international rescue efforts, particularly to the United States. No reliable data exists on how many Christians remain inside Afghanistan today.
Those who stayed behind now live under constant fear of exposure. According to sources familiar with underground church networks, believers frequently change locations, worship in small groups and avoid discussing their faith even with close acquaintances.
Thousands who fled to neighboring Pakistan remain in a precarious legal situation. However, many of them have been forcibly returned to Afghanistan amid the ongoing tensions between the two countries. For Christian converts, such forced returns create an especially dangerous situation because their faith may already be known within refugee communities.
Practicing Christianity is difficult because Taliban authorities closely monitor daily life to enforce adherence to Islamic decrees according to their extremely conservative interpretation of the texts. Men are expected to attend mosque prayers regularly, and those who fail to do so risk questioning or punishment.
The fear of exposure, which could lead to denunciation or extreme violence because conversion is considered apostasy under the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law, dictates almost every aspect of life for Afghan converts. Under this interpretation, apostasy can carry the death penalty.
One recent criminal procedure code approved by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada divides Afghan society into distinct social classes and introduces provisions that allow forms of enslavement within the justice system. The code distinguishes between “free” persons and “enslaved” persons and treats enslavement as a lawful status in legal proceedings. It also allows husbands and “masters” to carry out discretionary punishments on wives and enslaved persons, provided that the punishment does not result in broken bones or visible wounds.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk has warned that Afghanistan has become “a graveyard for human rights.” An independent U.S. panel on international religious freedom has urged that Afghanistan be designated a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC).
The U.S. government does not recognize the Taliban government as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, which complicates the formal designation of the country itself under mechanisms designed to sanction recognized states. The United States has instead designated the Taliban as an “Entity of Particular Concern” for severe violations of religious freedom.
The Taliban leadership has proven difficult for any country to influence because it derives its legitimacy primarily from its own religious interpretation rather than from international acceptance.
CSI’s source said Christians in Afghanistan feel abandoned by the world, particularly as humanitarian assistance for them also remains absent.
About Christian Solidarity International (CSI):
Founded over 40 years ago, CSI is an international Christian human rights organization, campaigning for religious liberty and human dignity, and assisting victims of religious persecution, victimized children and victims of catastrophe. CSI delivers emergency food assistance, medical treatment, and other lifesaving aid to victims of religious persecution and natural disasters in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Nigeria, South Sudan, Pakistan, and other hotspots around the globe. CSI is currently the only organization working to liberate Christians and other South Sudanese forced into slavery by government-backed forces during the Sudanese civil war. For more information visit https://csi-usa.org.
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Around 24 Afghan Christians from the Hazara ethnic community were killed near Bamiyan city in central Afghanistan in late January, a source in direct contact with that group has told CSI. The source said two girls were abducted during the attack and the house used for secret worship was burned down. While the identities of the attackers remain unclear, the source said that Taliban authorities had identified the group as converts to Christianity.
The larger Bamiyan region, where this city is situated, is historically associated with the Hazara ethnic group that is largely Shi’a Muslim. This community has long faced persecution from extremist Sunni groups that regard them as religious outsiders. The latest victims were Hazara converts who had secretly adopted Christianity, according to the source.
Christians in Afghanistan almost entirely consist of converts from Islam. Before the United States withdrew its troops and the Taliban seized power in August 2021, estimates suggested that about 20,000 Afghan Christians lived in the country, most of them practicing quietly in small underground fellowships.
Since the Taliban takeover, however, thousands have fled or were evacuated through international rescue efforts, particularly to the United States. No reliable data exists on how many Christians remain inside Afghanistan today.
Those who stayed behind now live under constant fear of exposure. According to sources familiar with underground church networks, believers frequently change locations, worship in small groups and avoid discussing their faith even with close acquaintances.
Thousands who fled to neighboring Pakistan remain in a precarious legal situation. However, many of them have been forcibly returned to Afghanistan amid the ongoing tensions between the two countries. For Christian converts, such forced returns create an especially dangerous situation because their faith may already be known within refugee communities.
Practicing Christianity is difficult because Taliban authorities closely monitor daily life to enforce adherence to Islamic decrees according to their extremely conservative interpretation of the texts. Men are expected to attend mosque prayers regularly, and those who fail to do so risk questioning or punishment.
The fear of exposure, which could lead to denunciation or extreme violence because conversion is considered apostasy under the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law, dictates almost every aspect of life for Afghan converts. Under this interpretation, apostasy can carry the death penalty.
One recent criminal procedure code approved by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada divides Afghan society into distinct social classes and introduces provisions that allow forms of enslavement within the justice system. The code distinguishes between “free” persons and “enslaved” persons and treats enslavement as a lawful status in legal proceedings. It also allows husbands and “masters” to carry out discretionary punishments on wives and enslaved persons, provided that the punishment does not result in broken bones or visible wounds.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk has warned that Afghanistan has become “a graveyard for human rights.” An independent U.S. panel on international religious freedom has urged that Afghanistan be designated a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC).
The U.S. government does not recognize the Taliban government as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, which complicates the formal designation of the country itself under mechanisms designed to sanction recognized states. The United States has instead designated the Taliban as an “Entity of Particular Concern” for severe violations of religious freedom.
The Taliban leadership has proven difficult for any country to influence because it derives its legitimacy primarily from its own religious interpretation rather than from international acceptance.
CSI’s source said Christians in Afghanistan feel abandoned by the world, particularly as humanitarian assistance for them also remains absent.
About Christian Solidarity International (CSI):
Founded over 40 years ago, CSI is an international Christian human rights organization, campaigning for religious liberty and human dignity, and assisting victims of religious persecution, victimized children and victims of catastrophe. CSI delivers emergency food assistance, medical treatment, and other lifesaving aid to victims of religious persecution and natural disasters in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Nigeria, South Sudan, Pakistan, and other hotspots around the globe. CSI is currently the only organization working to liberate Christians and other South Sudanese forced into slavery by government-backed forces during the Sudanese civil war. For more information visit https://csi-usa.org.
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