What is God Doing in Afghanistan?

Afghanistan           

Population:  27.9 million

Capital:     Kabul

People Groups:  91

Main Religion: Islam 98%

All Christians: 0.02%

Links to Testimonies of Muslims in Afghanistan who have become Christians:

HUSSAIN:  http://www.hhminc.org/andaryas/saved.htm

ZIA NODRAT:  http://www.answering-islam.org/Testimonies/zia.html

SULTAN MUHAMMED KHAN:  http://www.the-good-way.com/eng/article/a18.htm

N.N.:  http://www.answering-islam.org/Testimonies/TruePath/chap5.htm

In spite of the continued influence of the Taliban, an underground Christian movement is growing in war-torn Afghanistan. Before the Taliban regime, Afghanistan was one of the least-reached countries in the world, with fewer than 3,000 Afghan believers. Now as the war is over, a surprising 2 million refugees have come back, and some are bringing with them what they didn't have when they left: faith in Christ. "It is surprising how many people found the Lord while they were in Pakistan," one relief worker told 'Charisma' magazine. "Many had supernatural dreams, where Jesus appeared to them and revealed Himself to be the truth. Others were won to Christ through the network of Pakistani believers in remote, mountainous areas." Most foreign Christians working in the country are reluctant to give out information that might compromise their work and the safety of Afghan believers, but evangelism is alive and well. "It is unnatural for Afghans not to talk about God," one Christian worker explained. "They are looking for something new, knowing that they cannot go forward with what they had in the past. I talk about Jesus every day because people ask me. It's that simple."    Joel News International, February 2004

News reports focus on Taliban and Al-Qaeda infiltration along Afghanistan's frontier with Pakistan, but there is good news from the porous border. The message of Jesus Christ is spreading in Afghanistan. Before the Taliban was toppled, no Afghans could confess Christ openly in that country. Today, some two million refugees have returned, and many of them found Christ while away from home in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India, Europe, and America. Most of these Afghan believers first heard the gospel from courageous native missionaries in Pakistan. Some report having dreams in which Christ appeared to them and revealed himself as the truth. It is natural for Afghans to talk about God because as strict Muslims, they are a very God-conscious people. The many thousands who have emigrated to America often complain that they can seldom find people here who want to talk about God. But once they meet a truly born-again Christian they are eager to discuss religion together. When new believers return to Afghanistan there is great interest in their newly found faith. One missionary group in Pakistan has transported many Bibles and New Testaments into Afghanistan on a regular basis. As Afghans search for answers and hope, many are ready to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, especially when it is reported by their own kinsmen. The extremist aspects of orthodox Islam as enforced by the Taliban caused thousands of victims to seek alternatives.   Christian Aid, Missions Insider, April 2004

Afghanistan's only church was built in Kabul in 1970 and bulldozed in 1973 after Islamists complained of the growing number of converts. When the order was given for missionaries to be expelled and the church bulldozed, German businessman Hans Mohr who had purchased building materials for the church, uttered what turned out to be a prophetic word to the mayor of Kabul. "If your government touches that house of God, God will overthrow your government," he warned. The day the church was razed, the four-decade-long monarchy was toppled in a coup. Chaos has reigned in the 30 years since. Afghanistan is plagued with violence, unrest and despair. It is a land of warlords, hunger, suffering, oppression, illness, addiction, destruction and grief. Even though Afghanistan has a new president and a new constitution, it still has no religious freedom. The constitution, signed into law January 26, 2004, stipulates that "no law can be contrary to the sacred religion of Islam." The land and its people are in desperate need of the transformation only God can bring.    Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin, March 2004

In spite of the continued influence of the Taliban, an underground Christian movement is growing in post-war Afghanistan. Before the Taliban regime, Afghanistan was one of the least-reached countries in the world with less than 3,000 believers. With a population that is 98 percent Muslim, there were 48,000 mosques and not one church building. Following the war, officials expected about 600,000 of those refugees to return. But to their surprise, more than 2 million have come back - some are bringing with them what they didn't have when they left - faith in Christ. "It's surprising how many people found the Lord while they were in Pakistan," said one relief worker. "Many had supernatural dreams where Jesus appeared to them and revealed Himself to be the truth. Others were won to Christ through the network of Pakistani believers in remote, mountainous areas." Information is difficult to obtain about the state of the underground church in Afghanistan today as most foreign Christians working in the country are reluctant to give out information that might compromise their work and the safety of Afghan believers. But evangelism is alive and well - not only among the Christian workers who have come to help rebuild the country, but also among the Afghan believers themselves. "It's unnatural for Afghans not to talk about God," one Christian worker said. "They are looking for something new, knowing that they cannot go forward with what they had in the past." It's still extremely dangerous for Muslims in Afghanistan to convert to Christianity, risking cultural and political ostracism and even death.   Charisma News Service, January 2004