Religious Freedom in Afghanistan Unstable

  A few days ago, our friends at Mission Network News, wrote a story that gives us an update about the reality of what is really happening concerning religious freedom in Afghanistan.

Now that President Obama plans on bringing home 30,000 troops from Afghanistan in the next 15 months, Todd Nettleton from The Voice of the Martyrs told Mission Network News,

"There is not a great deal of confidence in the Afghan security forces to protect religious freedom."

Although President Obama declared that ‘the tide of war is receding,' pulling out while the Taliban is still alive and well can only bring trouble. The U.S. scenario bears a resemblance to Russia's withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989. 

At that time, a believer told Nettleton that their struggle was just beginning. "'The Taliban has shaved their beards, and they've taken off their black turbans, but they're still here.'" Unopposed, there are concerns that the Taliban will quickly grow back to full strength. 

Nettleton hopes that threat won't materialize for today's Christians, who make up just 1/100 of one percent of the population. However, "There is all likelihood that there will continue to be persecution of Christians; there will continue to be Christians who will be laying down their lives because of their faith."

Humanitarian groups worry that the drawdown will bring civil war, religious persecution, and increased terrorism. Left unchecked, the Taliban could declare open war on Christians.

Nettleton says, "Their interpretation of being a devout Muslim means that they should attack Christians, that a person who leaves Islam is an apostate and deserves to be killed."

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