Pray for Afghanistan

Nestled between several nations — including Iran, Pakistan, and China — Afghanistan is considered a “crossroad of civilizations” whose dramatic landscapes feature everything from the towering Hindu Kush to lush green valleys and arid deserts. Long ago, it was a vital part of the ancient Silk Road, acting as a highway for trading goods, languages, and new ideas. Today, however, that free exchange of culture and intellect is entirely suppressed, as the Taliban forbids any ideas or cultural expressions that deviate from their strict, fundamentalist doctrine. For years, it seemed like Afghanistan’s nightmare under extremist rule might be over. Yet, only 20 years later, the Taliban regained control. The nation was plunged back into a culture of fear, violence, and oppression. Girls and women lost most basic rights, the economy collapsed, and religious freedom — already scarce — disappeared.

The Taliban takeover triggered severe economic and political shocks nationwide. As banking restrictions slowly drained the economy, international funding for the Afghan government came to a halt. This left millions of Afghans without their government jobs and primary sources of income. Today, the majority of citizens live in deep poverty. Natural disasters, including severe droughts and flash floods, destroy precious farmland and homes. Amidst this nationwide suffering, the Taliban violently enforces a strict, oppressive interpretation of Islamic law, and any religion besides Islam is silenced. Women and girls have been stripped of their most basic human rights and dignity. They are barred from education, government, and even some healthcare. One-third of them face some kind of physical violence.

Christians and religious minorities suffer intense persecution under the Taliban and other Muslim extremists. An overwhelming majority of the nation has never heard the Gospel, with the Christian population being below 0.1 percent. Under Sharia law, converting to Christianity is punishable by death, and believers are always one moment away from being discovered by members of the Taliban who search phones for religious content. Despite this constant threat, Afghanistan’s Church is one of the fastest-growing in the world! Afghan believers risk their lives to share their faith, and miraculously, many Muslims — including Taliban fighters — are turning to Jesus after experiencing powerful visions and dreams. Christian television and radio broadcasts continue to bring the Gospel into this closed country.