Today I wanted to share with you what Voice of the Martyrs is saying in response to the recent breaking news about this dear Afghan man who is being persecuted for his faith.
Earlier today I put together a 2 minute podcast with comments from VOM Director of News Services, Todd Nettleton. You can download the podcast here.
The following is directly from VOM News Services:
The ongoing trial in Kabul of Abdul Rahman, a 41-year-old Afghan Christian, reminds Americans that though Afghanistan has been freed from Taliban control, true freedom of worship does not exist there. He faces a possible death sentence for converting to Christianity.
Rahman reportedly became a Christian 16 years ago while working with a Christian aid group in Pakistan. His conversion became public because of a custody dispute involving his two daughters.
Recent media reports suggest that charges against Rahman may be dropped due to questions about his mental fitness for trial. VOM sources say that he has suffered from depression in the past. The mental issues may give the Afghan legal system a face-saving way out in a case that has drawn international attention and criticism.
The new Constitution of Afghanistan proclaims that "followers of other religions (other than Islam) are free to exercise their faith and perform their religious rites within the limits of the provisions of law." But the same document declares that, "the religion of the state is the sacred religion of Islam," and that Sharia Law is the controlling legal authority.
“In the United States, we talk about the separation of church and state,” said Todd Nettleton, Director of News Services for The Voice of the Martyrs. “But in an Islamic country there is no separation. Islam controls not just religion, but also politics, legal issues and all of life. And Islamic law simply does not allow a person to leave Islam and follow another faith.”
VOM contacts estimate that there are between 1,000 and 3,000 born-again Christians in Afghanistan, and say other Christians are watching Rahman’s case closely. Compass Direct has reported that two more Christians have been arrested since Rahman’s story broke, and a third was beaten badly.
“The Afghan government recognizes that Afghans can be Hindus, and can be Sikhs, and in one case even recognizes they can be Jewish,” said Nettleton. “But they do not recognize Afghan Christians. Our brothers and sisters there have no legal standing, and that has got to change. American soldiers didn’t go to Afghanistan and lay down their lives so that Christians could be persecuted; they fought and died so that Afghans could truly have freedom.”
The Voice of the Martyrs encourages American Christians to pray for Abdul Rahman, and other believers in Afghanistan. In addition, Christians should write their representatives in the U.S. government to ask them to press for Rahman’s release. Finally, polite letters of protest can be addressed to the Afghan ambassador to the United States at the following address:
Said T. Jawad
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Afghanistan
Embassy of Afghanistan
2341 Wyoming Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Tel: 202.483.6410
Fax: 202.483.6488
Info@embassyofafghanistan.org
“Our hope is that this case and the attention it generates will lead Christians around the world to pray for revival in Afghanistan,” said Nettleton.
