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As rulers of 95 percent of Afghanistan, the Taliban have previously accused various international aid organizations of using humanitarian work as a cover for spreading Christianity among the Afghans. The United Nations has, in turn, accused the Taliban of harassing foreign and local aid workers, a charge that the Taliban deny.

"Obviously this is a major concern for us that humanitarian workers are being arrested," the U.N.'s Afghanistan coordinator's office spokesperson Letizia Rossan told The News on August 7. "There is a pattern that has clearly been coming out in the past few months of increasing difficulties for foreign aid workers."

All of SNI's operations in Afghanistan, which included soup kitchens, bakeries and the manufacture of roofing beams and mud houses, were reported to be sealed and closed down as of August 9.

Seven months ago, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar declared over Radio Shariat that the death penalty would be imposed on any Afghan who converted to Christianity or Judaism, and that "any non-Muslim found trying to win converts will also be killed." A senior spokesman for the regime elaborated on the January 8 edict, alleging that "certain foreigners" in the country were trying secretly to convert Afghans to Christianity.

But according to U.S. State Department officials, this week Washington has "discussed" with Taliban representatives Omar's later Decree No. 14, issued in June, which orders that foreigners caught preaching other religions to Afghan Muslims be deported after three to 10 days in jail.

NGO workers who have left Afghanistan in the past week confirmed to Compass that a July 12 decree from Omar was directed specifically to expatriates residing in Afghanistan. The list of a dozen or more points included religious as well as cultural and social prohibitions, with prescribed punishments ranging from jailing to expulsion from the country.

Meanwhile, with last week's arrests still unresolved, foreign NGOs working in Afghanistan have begun to send dependents of their expatriate staff and others in support-staff roles out of the country.

"Prayer is really needed for the local staff of SNI," a representative from a sister aid organization said, "Just because of their association with SNI, these Afghans will probably be treated much worse than the foreigners."

Copyright © 2001 Compass Direct.

Previous Christianity Today stories about Afghanistan include:

Weblog: New Rules Surface in Afghanistan | Plus: Bush delivers a big announcement tonight and mass-arrests in Lebanon lead to unrest. (Aug. 9, 2001)

Weblog: Antinori Team Says, 'Send In the Clones' | Plus: Taliban officials display evidence and the Roman Catholic Church endorses a controversial molestation bill. (Aug. 8, 2001)

Weblog: Shari'ah Law to Decide Fates in Afghanistan | Plus: Attack of the 200 clones, and Eugene Rivers's model could help Cincinnati's racial tensions. (Aug. 7, 2001)

Weblog: Doors Shut on Afghanistan Christian Organization | Plus: Philippine Muslim rebels strike again, and carnival workers need religion, too. (Aug. 6, 2001)

Taliban Threatens Death to Converts | Afghanistan's Islamic army also says it will kill any non-Muslim seeking converts. (Feb. 15, 2001)

Religious Freedom Report Rebukes China, Others | State Department finds many nations' religious freedoms deteriorating, but some are improved. (Sept. 7, 2000)

Religious Freedom Report Released | Afghanistan, China, Iran, and Iraq listed as some of most repressive countries. (Oct. 25, 1999)

New Unreached Group Targeted (Feb. 8, 1999)

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August (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45