Many Afghan Christians in Tajikistan are facing a “life or death” predicament in the form of forced deportation back to Afghanistan, according to a Sat-7 source.
The move follows similar schemes undertaken by Pakistan and Iran, from whom almost two million Afghans have been returned to their homeland in seven months.
While hostility towards Christianity is increasing in the neighbouring country, a return to life under Taliban rule represents a clear and present danger to believers. Deportations have ramped up, with hundreds of Afghans already returned, including many asylum-seekers and refugees, while all Afghan nationals were told to leave the country within 15 days, according to Sat-7.
Sat-7 spokesperson Omid Jouyandeh (name changed for security reasons) emphasised the gravity of the situation facing Christians likely to be returned to Afghanistan.
Jouyandeh told en that while persecution against Christians is gradually rising in Tajikistan, with churches no longer being officially registered and children excluded from attending services until they turn 18, they at least do not face the “threat to life and limb” that they will in their homeland.
He said: “Churches in Afghanistan do not even enjoy the limited freedoms that exist in Tajikistan.
"People are subject to arbitrary searches and it is unsafe to carry Christian material on your person, even on your phone.
“Christian families fear searches of their homes and they fear for their young daughters who can be forced to marry Muslim men, which in effect also means forced conversion to Islam.
"It is known that prisoners are subjected to inhumane punishments and executions are common.
"For these reasons there is grave concern for Afghan Christians being deported to Afghanistan and the kind of things that very likely await them in their former homeland.”
Amidst the challenging nature of the situation, Christians need support from the church more than ever.
However, Jouyandeh revealed that the church in the Persian-speaking world is “greatly hampered in its efforts” to support its people due to an absence of governmental freedom, leaving the bulk of the work to international organisations.
Asked what must happen to bring about a fundamental improvement of conditions for Christians, Jouyandeh told en that while international Christian organisations can help by lobbying the international community, he believes a “deep change is needed in people’s worldview and assumptions” across the region.
He said: “In the traditional cultures of the region, the idea of questioning society’s dominant beliefs is neither acceptable nor permissible. The idea that [the] God of the universe might say to human beings ‘come let us reason together’ is outside of the realm of possibilities. The concept that each human being is of immense worth because he or she is made in God’s image is absent or drowned out.
"In this region, and especially in Iran and Afghanistan, a person may not leave the dominant religion without facing dire consequences.
“For a deep cultural change to take place, people would need to rethink, along the lines of Christ’s Beatitudes, what God is truly like and what really pleases Him. And that may take some time as the gospel seeps into the cultural fabric of the region.
“Christians on the ground are doing the hard work of reaching those around them, and organisations like SAT-7 are bringing the message of God’s love through Jesus Christ to all in the region. The prayerful support of Christians around the world for this work is really needed and makes a difference.”
