아프가니스탄 | Afghanistan

DESIGNATION: Restricted BACKGROUND: Ravaged by years of drought, conflict and the destructive presence of radical groups, Afghanistan’s economy still relies heavily on foreign aid and the opium trade. Life in Afghanistan, long marked by tribal division, has been profoundly affected in the past decade by conflict between the Taliban and the government. Today, ISIS is also a threat in the country of 30 million, and the government is highly fragmented. The central government, splintered among opposing ethnic and tribal leaders, has been ineffective in providing opportunities or establishing security for the Afghan people, who live throughout vast desert areas and isolated mountain communities. MAJOR RELIGION: Afghanistan is 99.8 percent Muslim. PERSECUTOR: Local and national governments are highly antagonistic toward Christians. Extremist groups, including the Taliban and ISIS, are active, and believers are persecuted by their families, friends and communities. WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN IN AFGHANISTAN: Afghans who are followers of Jesus must hide their faith and cannot worship openly. There are no physical church buildings in the country. All Christians worship in house churches. Evangelism is forbidden. Believers in Afghanistan gather in homes or other small venues. Christians or seekers are highly secretive about their faith, especially following a surge of arrests in recent years. Beatings, torture and kidnappings are routine for Christians in Afghanistan. Many have immigrated to neighboring countries in order to worship openly. Still, Afghan house churches continue to grow. A small number of Christians are martyred every year in Afghanistan, but this occurs largely without public knowledge. A small number of believers are in prison, but imprisonment is not common. Christian converts from Islam are often killed by family members or radicals before any legal process takes place. ACCESS TO BIBLES: Since there are no churches or bookstores in Afghanistan, Bibles are only available through underground ministry networks or in digital formats. There is little access to printed Bibles and the danger for owning one is extreme. Most believers do not have their own Bible, either because of lack of accessibility or the danger of having a Bible. However, online or digital formats are available and extremely helpful to believers and seekers. VOM WORK: VOM equips Afghan Christians by providing Bibles, TV and radio broadcasts, discipleship training, front-line worker support and other forms of practical and spiritual assistance.