Afghanistan

The Taliban’s ban on women’s education is not rooted in Sharia law but instead reflects cultural biases that contradict the teachings of Islam. Most Taliban leaders come from various Pashtun rural tribal communities in the regions bordering Pakistan, which is one of the largest Muslim tribal groups in the world. The fundamental Taliban belief is influenced by the status of women in the families of clerics and religious leaders in these Pashtun regions. Their primary belief is that pubescent girls should not leave home under any circumstance. That is why they see it as morally wrong for women to go out for school or work.

Pray for the LORD to break the strongholds of the patriarchal social and cultural norms followed in the Pashtun tribal community (The Holy Bible, Micah 2:13).

Pray for Afghan women and girls to have access to all their fundamental rights and freedom (The Holy Bible, Exodus 33:17).

Afghanistan is perhaps best known as the birthplace of the Islamic extremist group, the Taliban. Originally a group of radical Islamic scholars, the founders of the Taliban intended to bring political and economic stability to the nation after nearly two decades of conflict. However, its radical practices brought oppression and the country’s poverty worsened.  The subsequent 20 years of military intervention from international troops protected the development of an elected government. However, troop withdrawals in mid-2021 saw a rapid collapse and a return of the Taliban to power, prompting one of the most extreme large-scale evacuations of foreigners and vulnerable national staff. More than 2 million refugees have sought shelter in neighboring nations. Since the Taliban returned to power, the economy has failed to recover from international sanctions are extreme and the lives of women and children are very difficult. Christians living in Afghanistan cannot easily meet for fellowship, but online services, resources, and outreaches continue to be highly effective.