_WORLD WATCH______________________________
________________Afghanistan_______________
Christians face trial
Taliban rebuffs diplomatic efforts
On August 1, Afghanistan’s Muslim Taliban government announced that it had arrested 24 foreign and local employees of an international aid agency, and would put them on trial for teaching Christianity. The Taliban also detained the 59 children who were under their care.
The accused—four Germans, two Australians, and two Americans, in addition to 8 Afghanis—worked for Shelter Now International (SNI) in Kabul. The foreign workers could face fines and prison sentences, but for the Afghanis the punishment for attempting to convert Muslims would be death.
The Taliban held the 59 pupils from the SNI school for 10 days, explaining that they wanted “to remove from their hearts and minds the Christian teachings.” Then the government released the children—but arrested their fathers, charging them with neglecting their parental duties.
In a diplomatic tug-of-war that lasted throughout August, Taliban spokesmen brushed aside international criticism of the arrests. “We have our concerns too,” a government official told reporters.
Diplomats from Australia, Germany, and the US—the home countries of the foreign SNI workers—succeeded in meeting with Taliban officials only after a series of delays. But they were not allowed to meet with the prisoners, or deliver messages from their families. All other diplomatic initiatives were quickly rejected, and on September 4 the Afghani government announced that the trial of the 8 foreigners had begun. The country’s Chief Justice Noor Mohammad Saqib told reporters that Muslim clerics would consider the charges against the accused Christians, and mete out penalties in accordance with Sharia law. He added: “We can’t say how long it will all take, because it depends on the progress of the investigation and the persuasiveness of the legal arguments.” Despite persistent diplomatic pleas and international protests, the trial continues in secret as CWR goes to press.
Back to Catholic World Report October 2001 Table of Contents