Taliban confirms Afghanistan will be under Sharia Law
As the Taliban settles into power in Afghanistan and reinstates Sharia Law, the small population of believers in the country fear the worst.
In a recent interview with Reuters, high-ranking Taliban commander Waheedullah Hashimi confirmed that Afghanistan would not be a democracy under the Taliban rule, and that they will implement no law but Sharia.
He says: “There will be no democratic system at all because it does not have any base in our country…We will not discuss what type of political system should we apply in Afghanistan because it is clear. It is Sharia law and that is it.”
Sharia Law takes different forms, but during their rule in the 1990s the Taliban were known to hold to an extreme interpretation. This includes imposing oppressive rules for women and violent punishments on infidels, including believers who have left their Muslim faith to follow Christ.
Brother Samuel*, Open Doors Field Director for Asia, continues to ask for prayers: “These are uncertain times for Christians in Afghanistan. It’s absolutely dangerous. We don’t know what the next months will bring, what kind of implementation of Sharia Law we will see, but we continue to ask you to intercede for our brothers and sisters. They are facing insurmountable adversity. We must pray without ceasing.”
In an exclusive interview with CBN, local believer Hamid* shares fears that the TB will eliminate the Christian population. He says: “We know a Christian believer who we’ve been working within the north, he’s a leader and we’ve lost contact with him because his city has fallen to the Taliban,” Hamid said. “There are three other cities that we have lost contact with our Christian believers.”
“Some of the believers are known in their communities, people know that they converted from Islam to Christianity, and they are considered apostates and the penalty for that is death,” Hamid said. “The Taliban are famous for carrying out that punishment.”
Since the TB took full control on Monday, chaos and an eerie sense of calm has gone over Afghanistan. Images of locals stampeding to board US airships have flooded social media, while, on the streets and marketplaces, rifle-brandishing members of the TB roamed to keep the peace.
Ex-President Ashraf Ghani, previously reported to have fled in Uzbekistan or Tajikistan, has now resurfaced in the United Arab Emirates. Accused by the Russian Embassy in Afghanistan of leaving the country with a helicopter full of cash, Ghani maintains in his first public address that he was forced by his security officials to leave Kabul to prevent bloodshed.
Prayer
A prayer for Afghanistan, based on the words of Psalm 57:1-5
Have mercy on them, my God, have mercy on them, for in You they take refuge. They will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. We cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates us. He sends from heaven and saves, rebuking those who hotly pursue. God sends forth his love and his faithfulness. Your children in Afghanistan are in the midst of lions, forced to dwell among ravenous beasts. Men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth.
