Country Profile - Afghanistan
Population: 31.8 million
Capital: Kabul
Government: Islamic republic
Religion: Sunni Muslim 80%; Shia Muslim 19%; other 1%
Violent swings
Afghanistan has known nothing but strife and conflict in its modern history.
Dramatic shifts of power and violent regime changes have left a nation in ruins.
Although today it is in the first flush of a fledgling democracy, it remains severely impoverished and relentlessly unstable.
Vicious circles
The emergence of the Taliban followed decades of political upheaval.
The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support a pro-Communist regime, but soon became embroiled in a struggle against mujahedin rebels. When the Soviets withdrew in 1989, rival Islamic factions vied for power.
Kabul fell to the Taliban in 1996 -- and then at least the anarchy subsided. But the Taliban repressed Afghan society with their extreme interpretation of Islam and alienated Afghanistan from the rest of the international community.
The Taliban were toppled by the US invasion in 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks on America and their refusal to surrender Osama bin Laden.
Hamid Karzai won the country’s first direct presidential elections in 2004 -- and now faces the unenviable task of piecing together the fragments of a shattered nation.
Among the many challenges that face him is the resurgence of the Taliban in the south and east of the country.
Keeping the faith
Persecution of non-Muslims was blatant and legally enforced under the Taliban’s Sharia law. Today, Afghanistan has a new transitional government and a new constitution, yet the situation for Christians is much the same.
Under the Taliban, the law imposed the death sentence on anyone converting from Islam -- and if the state failed to act, new Christians were often murdered by their relatives.
Now, the law does not discriminate against the tiny Christian minority -- but it turns a blind eye when persecution occurs. The constitution clearly states that the state religion is Islam.
There are no Christian churches or schools in Afghanistan, although immigrants and foreigners are free to practise their own religion.
Non-government organisations suspected of spreading the Gospel have been threatened or attacked.
People who turn to Christianity face discrimination, even violence. The arrest of Abdul Rahman was a case in point: he was detained on charges of apostasy in 2006 and sentenced to death for refusing to renounce Christianity and return to Islam. An international outcry secured his release but he has since had to flee Afghanistan.
RI projects
RI's work in Afghanistan includes:
- Providing Christian materials to inspire and strengthen the church
- Plans to help people at high risk of persecution relocate to other parts of the country
- Producing and distributing calendars with Bible verses and details of online resources for people wanting to know more about Christianity
Sources: BBC; International Christian Concern; Operation World; Release International; The World Factbook 2007.