Peanut Gallery: Christian Persecution – Afghanistan – #3 (worldwatchlist.us)
“Family and societal pressure combined with government persecution have pushed the church underground. The state treats converts, who all come from a Muslim background, in a very hostile manner.
Christians cannot meet in public; even gatherings in private houses require extreme caution. No church buildings exist, even for expatriates, and both local and foreign Christians are subject to kidnapping, abduction, killing and having to flee the country.
The Taliban is regaining power and has vowed to purge all Christians from Afghanistan, both foreign and local.” (worldwatchlist.us)
Please Pray:
- For peace and stability as international troops withdraw in 2013-14
- That God would thwart Taliban attempts to target NGOs and relief organizations
- That Christian radio and TV programs will strengthen isolated believers and bring the gospel to this closed country.
Prayer: Heavenly Father – You created all people in Your image, from every tribe and nation, and You offer them a future and a hope. Have pity on the wretched people of Afghanistan; show mercy to the people of this miserable country. Lord Jesus – By the power of Your Blood shed on the Cross, break their bondage to the spiritual forces of darkness that grip this land. Holy Spirit – Plant Your seeds of Life and Light in the hearts of these people, through dreams and vision, radio witness, and the living witness of Christian workers in that country. Shield them and protect them. I ask it in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
See “Religion in Afghanistan” (Wikipedia)
From 1987-1992 the country’s official name was the “Republic of Afghanistan” but today it is an “Islamic Republic.”
For Afghans, Islam represents a potentially unifying symbolic system which offsets the divisiveness that frequently rises from the existence of a deep pride in tribal loyalties and an abounding sense of personal and family honor found in multi-tribal and multi-ethnic societies such as Afghanistan.
Mosques serve not only as places of worship, but for a multitude of functions, including shelter for guests, places to meet and converse, the focus of social religious festivities and schools. Almost every Afghan has at one time during his youth studied at a mosque school; for some this is the only formal education they receive.
Some unconfirmed reports state that there are 500 to 8,000 Afghan Christians practicing their faith secretly in the country (among a population of 30.4 million.) [20]
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