“I came to Christ a year ago. The Kabul situation is dreadful. Please help us! The lives of my eight-year-old daughter and my own are both in danger.” This message from a single father in Afghanistan is typical of the urgent cries for help SAT-7 has received in the last few days as the Taliban seized control of the country.
A 16-year-old girl messaged: “People are terrified, everyone is afraid and scared of the Taliban… I’m crying out to God right now; someone please help us.”
SAT-7 is responding to the crisis with special programming on our Persian language channel, which broadcasts in Afghanistan, and by offering prayer and counselling to Afghans via our viewer support teams. You can support SAT-7’s ministry by making a donation here.
Fears for Afghan Christians
Thousands of people are attempting to flee Afghanistan, leading to chaos at the airports and raising fears of abuses against human rights, particularly for women, children, Christians and other minorities.
The Shia Hazara community have been the targets of many atrocities by militants including the Taliban. Ethnic Hazara are also the community that has seen the largest number of Afghans turning to Christ. Worryingly, SAT-7 has heard stories of Hazara being stopped to see if they have any evidence of being Christians on their phones. In one account a Hazara Christian was shot on the spot.
“Our friends, our brothers and sisters in Christ in Afghanistan, are telling us how afraid they are – that their lives will be snuffed out. It is a very dire situation,” says Mikael Tunér, a SAT-7 PARS Partner. “Many have come to Christ from all ethnicities across Afghanistan. Please pray over the coming weeks that Jesus, Prince of Peace, will rule in many hearts.”
“Pray for spiritual protection that our faith may remain strong.” In a special live prayer programme for Afghanistan (16 August 2021), Brother Mo Sanavi shares prayer requests from Afghan believers in the country.
Prayer for Afghanistan
A special live programme, Prayer for Afghanistan, aired on SAT-7 PARS on Tuesday evening (17 August), uniting Afghan and Iranian Christians in prayer and solidarity for Afghanistan’s most vulnerable citizens. The channel is running emergency on-screen text, calling Persian-speakers to prayer, on all its broadcasts and social media platforms.
“We are receiving prayer requests from our Afghan viewers,” says Panayiotis Keenan, Executive Director of SAT-7 PARS. “They are afraid, facing a dangerous and uncertain future, and they feel abandoned. We continue to stand by them and support them. Please join us in praying for them.”
“Please be our voice”
An Afghan viewer who came to Christ two years ago said, “For quite a while I was inviting my relatives and close people around me to get to know Christ, but sadly in the past two to three days, my family and I have received death threats. In this emergency situation, I have no other way but to escape from the country. Please be our voice, please help us to be heard so that we can flee from this hell as soon as possible.”
In the first six months of 2021, SAT-7 PARS witnessed an increase in audience engagement from viewers in Afghanistan, especially on Facebook. As well as Farsi language programmes that many Afghans understand, SAT-7 PARS currently broadcasts two Dari programmes specifically for Afghan viewers. Many share how they came to Christ through the channel and how much its broadcasts mean to them.
Reza Jafari, Creativity Manager of SAT-7 PARS, said, “We are heartbroken at the plight of the Afghan people and exploring the best ways we can support them in both the immediate and long-term future.”
Please pray for Afghanistan and its people:
• Pray for all those impacted by the violence and those seeking a means of escaping the country.
• Please pray that the rights of Afghanistan’s women, children, and men will not be ignored and will be upheld.
• Pray against violence and oppression.
• Pray for Christians and ethnic minorities who fear being singled out and targeted.
• Pray for hope, mercy, justice, and healing in Afghanistan.
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Watch more videos and pray with Iranian and Afghan Christians for their country on our Youtube channel here.
READ MORE
Who are Afghanistan’s Christians?
Why are Afghan Christians among those most vulnerable in a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan?