Fleeing for her life
Open Doors recently spoke to one of our frontline partners about a secret Afghan believer who had to run for her life after the departure of the international troops. He shared her heartbreaking story:
Zabi* is an Afghan refugee who had to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban take over. She’s single, still quite young and well-educated. She was active in the area of human rights and therefore a target for the Taliban. They may know that she’s a Christian already because five years ago they killed her father for his faith after they had tortured him for several months. Only two years ago, her brother also disappeared. Like Zabi, he was a believer. We don’t know if she has other siblings, but Zabi’s mother is still alive. She’s not a believer.
Zabi is in desperate need. The country where she stays doesn’t help her and may even expel her back to Afghanistan, where her life would be in grave danger. When the international forces left, Zabi was among the people they should have taken. However, she was left behind and she had to run for her life.
God led our frontline partners to her. They are now in regular contact with Zabi. We have encouraged her, prayed with her, given her food. We pay the rent of her apartment and have given her some money so that she is currently safe and able to survive. We’ll continue to help her, although we don’t know what her future will hold for her.
Will she flee to a third country, build a life there and work for the human rights of the Afghan people from another country? Will she go into hiding in the country where she is now? Will she go back at the risk of being martyred, just like her father and brother? Only God knows how Zabi’s story will end.
It’s hard to imagine all Zabi has been through. Understandably, she has great fears for the future – but thanks to people like you, Open Doors partners can support her with emergency food, shelter and prayer. So many other vulnerable believers around the world need the same urgent help.
Open Doors has launched a year of prayer for Afghanistan and we are starting with a special 30 days of prayer. Download your guide here.
