Christianity in Afghanistan
Christianity in Afghanistan describes the reality of how Christians live in Afghanistan after American and Allied Forces withdrew.
What does persecution look like in Afghanistan?
In the years since the Taliban took power in August 2021, Afghanistan has at least had some level of political stability—but that stability has extended to crushing pressure and violence against minority groups. As far as the Taliban are concerned, there are no Christians in Afghanistan. Most house churches that existed before the Taliban (even if they had to be hidden) have been closed, as believers were forced to flee or go even further underground.
When the Taliban came to power, they did so with pledges to recognize more freedoms than in the past. But that hasn't happened—if an Afghan's Christian faith is discovered, it can be a death sentence, or they can be detained and tortured into giving information about fellow believers. The surrounding society and family structure has no room for religious freedom, and the government upholds this rigid stance. This means Christians—almost all of whom are converts from Islam—must keep their faith secret, or they may simply disappear.
Thousands of Afghan refugees live in countries bordering Afghanistan, often in poor conditions in camps for displaced people, and many Christians are among them.[1]