A bipartisan federal commission that monitors global religious freedom called on the U.S. government to help evacuate religious minorities in Afghanistan that face persecution from the Taliban.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the call Aug. 20 in response to the Taliban’s harsh imposition of Sharia law on non-Muslims. That includes the death penalty for Muslims who convert to another religion and are judged guilty of apostasy.
‘At risk from the Taliban’
“While the United States government is working around the clock to evacuate American citizens and Afghans with U.S. affiliations, Afghan religious minorities face extreme risk from the Taliban and must be part of this urgent effort,” Commissioner Frederick A. Davie said.
Most followers of religions other than Islam fled Afghanistan after the Taliban first gained control of the government and established a theocratic emirate from 1996 to 2001.
However, small groups of religious minorities remained, including Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Hindus, Buddhists and followers of the Baha’i faith.
Even before the recent collapse of the Afghan government when the Taliban regained control, the United Nations documented more than 8,800 civilian casualties—including more than 3,000 fatalities—last year, with the most brutal attacks directed toward religious minorities.
“The reports of the Taliban searching for religious minorities in Afghanistan are deeply troubling,” said Nadine Maenza, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
“USCIRF urges the United States government to support minority communities to help them leave and provide expedited processing to a safe location.”
In its 2021 Annual Report, issued prior to the collapse of the Afghan government, the commission recommended the U.S. State Department continue to designate the Taliban as an Entity of Particular Concern “for engaging in systemic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious liberty.”
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Leaders of faith-based agencies involved in refugee resettlement likewise called on the Biden administration to do more to aid the most vulnerable Afghans.
‘Think of the prospects ahead’
Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, tweeted on Aug. 19: “We can’t tie a life-or-death humanitarian evacuation to an arbitrary timeline. Our government made a commitment, and we can’t give up until the job is done. If political will matches military might, we can still pull off the boldest evacuation in modern history.”
In an Aug. 22 news conference, President Joe Biden announced the United States and its partner nations had evacuated 28,000 people from Afghanistan. The Washington Post reported the administration is considering extending the deadline for troop withdrawal past Aug. 31 to continue evacuations.
Franklin Graham, CEO of the Samaritan’s Purse humanitarian aid organization, posted on Facebook a blistering critique of the Biden administration’s Afghan policy, which he called “a death sentence for many freedom-loving Afghans.”
“The Taliban who took over the country are Islamic extremists who have no mercy and no respect for human life,” Graham wrote. He urged Americans to “think of the prospects ahead for Christians and other minorities in the country.”
“The blood of this nation will be on the hands of the Biden/Harris administration,” he wrote.
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