The events this week in Afghanistan have shown us the suffering and devastation wrought by a group that is diametrically opposed to religious freedom. Thousands of Christians and other religious minorities have been driven underground for fear of their lives. To learn more about religious freedom in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, read FRC's Tony Perkins and Travis Weber's op-ed below.
Fifteen years ago, the Family Research Council advocated for Abdul Rahman, an Afghan Muslim man who had converted to Christianity and was being persecuted. Even in the face of a new Constitution, supported by the U.S. and purported to protect religious freedom, the Islamist headwinds blew strongly enough that Rahman's safety was only ensured by the intervention of the international community, who at the time had been helping to rebuild Afghanistan. At that time, we had critiqued the Bush administration for failing to stand up for people like Mr. Rahman and called for pressure on the U.S.-backed Afghan government to ensure his protection. Eventually, Mr. Rahman was shuttled to Italy, not without much effort by his international defenders (he certainly lacked them within his own country).
Fast forward a decade and a half to the events of this week. If Christians were in danger previously (and they have been--Open Doors USA ranks Afghanistan the second-toughest place to be a Christian worldwide), things just got even worse...
