Release International, 11 August 2022 (excerpts)
A year after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Christian TV companies report deeper religious persecution and restrictions in every area of life in Afghanistan.
One Christian viewer of SAT-7 said, ‘The security situation for someone like me who has accepted another faith is extremely concerning. Pray for us.’
Another viewer said: ‘Fear and dread have taken all of Afghanistan, especially affecting religious and ethnic minorities. At checkpoints, mobile phones are checked.’
‘Christians live under daily threat and in danger,’ said Shoaib Ebadi, president of Square One World Media.
The latest report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom stated: ‘Converts who already faced ostracization and the threat of honour killings by family and village members are now at heightened risk with the Taliban in power.’
Shoaib Ebadi added, ‘In the midst of darkness, Christian followers of Jesus are still trying to help the poor and be salt and light.’
‘They are questioning everything: their own faith, their past, their present, their future. And all of them have mobile phones. Short videos about Jesus’ teaching and his life are being watched by hundreds and thousands.
Shoaib Ebadi believes the spread of the Christian faith in Afghanistan has overtaken even that of Iran, where it has been growing rapidly – despite or because of persecution. ‘The growth of the church in Afghanistan is ten times faster than in Iran,’ he claimed.