Film: An urgent call to action on behalf of Afghan Christian refugees

Churches are being invited to screen a short film about the dire suffering of Christians and other persecuted groups in Afghanistan today. Christian human rights organisation CSW has made the film entitled Leave No One Behind.

Deeply affecting, the film provides first-hand testimony from Afghan Christian refugees, persecuted due to their beliefs.

Speaking at the film's public launch, Laila Gul, who worked for Women's Rights in Afghanistan in partnership with the Swedish Committee, spoke of her persecution by the Taliban. They told me: "Stop working with foreign unbelievers. You cannot drive [she used to drive to work]. Stop working on women's rights." If she failed to comply, she would be killed. She and her husband fled with nothing. "There was no place to stay and rest. We did not have any money, and we did not know anyone. We entered Pakistan through the mountains illegally."

In the film, Ali, another Christian refugee, concurs: "We had to leave behind our lives and all our belongings and escape to Pakistan. Furthermore, one of my seven children, eight-year-old son Syed Salih, has been diagnosed with leukæmia.

"He is required to travel from Islamabad to Lahore for chemotherapy once a month, which more often than not is extremely challenging. We are in dire need of help for his treatment and care. Unfortunately, life in Pakistan has been difficult; the radicalisation level in Pakistani society makes survival extremely precarious."

Another Christian refugee said: "I feel hopeless. Here I can be killed as an 'infidel' I would like to go back and serve my people but I am stuck."

A woman who was tortured by the Taliban, revealed the scars inflicted by a heated skewer. They said to her: "Your husband is a Christian. He could be working for foreigners." She too was an 'infidel' but they didn't know it. They had to flee in just the clothes they were wearing.

Joblessness, fear, hiding and poverty are the lot of the refugees once over the border in neighbouring countries - along with the fear of deportation. Many are visa-less and without passports. They are being supported by CSW and other agencies but there is the urgent need for more support and for the expediting of asylum by the international community.

Here, Mahtab tells of the Taliban's assassination of his father who led an underground Church. "One day they stormed our home and shot and killed my father in front of our eyes. They continued to come to our house and threaten us. One of the Taliban threatened to abduct my sister as he wanted to marry her. We instantly fled Afghanistan and entered Pakistan without any documentation."

Leave No One Behind is an urgent call to action for the international community, to help those whose lives are in danger. Phil Drummond from the Church Engagement Team, says:

"To host a screening of the documentary at your church, simply complete the short form by clicking on the link below, and we will send you a leader's pack and a link to the film. The leader's pack also includes details of how to invite your MP to the screening. We would advise a viewing age of 18 years or older because of the nature of the content."

CSW says: "We believe your voice holds unimaginable power and can save lives." It also asks for the support of prayer.

Afghanistan's politics, economics and society changed significantly on 15 August 2021, when the government fell following the US military withdrawal and the Taliban's takeover of the country's capital, Kabul. The Taliban's swift advance prompted several thousand Afghan men, women and children to leave their homes and head for neighbouring countries, fearing the group's long history of violence, targeted oppression and persecution of minorities and vulnerable groups.

For many Afghans, the takeover heralded a return 'to the darkest days,' as UN Secretary-General António Guterres described it.

Since the Taliban takeover, there has been growing concern over the safety and security of vulnerable groups, the stripping away of the fundamental rights and freedoms laid out in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and an increase in human rights violations, including of women's rights and the right to freedom of religion or belief.

Afghanistan is becoming increasingly dangerous for religious, sectarian and ethnic minorities. Many have fled, and there have been reports of house-to-house searches, terrorist attacks targeting religious minorities, and other crimes under international law necessitating the urgent attention of the international community.

Several UN human rights experts have warned of a bleak outlook for Afghanistan if the international community does not 'dramatically step up efforts to urge de facto authorities to adhere to basic human rights principles.'

While the international community and states attempt to engage with the Taliban, they must also take care to assist those who have fled the country in fear of their lives, who still await the possibility of settling somewhere where they are not targeted on account of religion, belief or ethnicity.

In many neighbouring countries where Afghan refugees currently reside, they experience multiple levels of marginalisation, while also being unable to rebuild their lives. Thus, it is imperative that members of the international community maintain at the forefront of their interventions the plight of these vulnerable groups, both within Afghanistan and in countries where they have fled as refugees; assisting these communities to move forward with their lives in an environment that is free of persecution, discrimination and the deprivation of fundamental rights, and thereby preserving and protecting their human dignity.

CSW says" "As Christians we stand with everyone facing injustice because of their religion or belief. Our vision is a world free from religious persecution, where everyone can practise a religion or belief of their choice."

LINKS

Further testimonies of suffering and perilous existence can be found in CSW's report: From the darkest day into the night: The plight of refugees fleeing Afghanistan: www.csw.org.uk/2023/03/06/report/5951/

Host a screening of Leave Noone Behind: www.csw.org.uk/hostscreening.htm