Taliban agree to free S. Korean hostages
AMIR SHAH
Associated Press Writer
GHAZNI, Afghanistan --
The Taliban agreed Tuesday to free 19 South Korean church volunteers held hostage since July after the government in Seoul pledged to end all missionary work and keep a promise to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.
The South Korean government has agreed to cease all missionary work. However, these church volunteers were not missionaries, they were doing aid work. (S. Korea had already said they were withdrawing their troops by the end of the year.)
Of course, this capitulation makes it a certainty that the Taliban will kidnap more hostages. If a strategy works....
UPDATE: The Associated Press reports that at least one of the hostages has been brutally murdered:
Korean hostage killed by Taliban
By AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jul 25, 4:19 PM ET
Afghan police discovered the bullet-riddled body of a South Korean hostage Wednesday as the Taliban released eight other captives who were taken to a U.S. military base, officials said.
Because of a recent spike in kidnappings — including an attempt against a Danish citizen Wednesday — police announced foreigners were no longer allowed to leave the Afghan capital without their permission.
The male South Korean victim was found with 10 bullet holes in his head, chest and stomach in the Mushaki area of Qarabagh district in Ghazni province, the region where 23 South Koreans were kidnapped last week, said Abdul Rahman, a police officer.
A police official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation, said militants told him the hostage was sick and couldn't walk and was therefore shot.
More....
This hostage, reported to be a male pastor, is now a martyr for Christ. Shed no tears for him. Remember, Jesus will reward him for this with a crown following the rapture, but pray for his family.
Original Posting: The following article is from The Independent, a British newspaper (thanks to Michelle Malkin for bringing this article to my attention):
Kidnapping brings unwanted attention to Afghan Christians
By Chris Sands in Mazar-e-Sharif
Published: 24 July 2007
The kidnapping of South Korean church volunteers by the Taliban has sparked vigils in Seoul, and shone the spotlight on Afghanistan's small, underground Christian community.
In Mazar-e-Sharif, home to one of Islam's most revered shrines, Ahmedi, 33, says he would be killed instantly if his faith were exposed. In this staunchly traditional society, conversion from Islam remains reviled by many Afghans - and by government officials.
"If the war had not happened, if the Americans and foreigners had not come to Afghanistan, we would not have this freedom and we would not have this office," says Ahmedi, who was fearful of giving his full name.
The "office" is a community centre set up by a Christian charity, and Ahmedi is one of 100 or so Christians living in the northern city.
Rumours abound here that many aid organisations are used as a cover by foreigners to indoctrinate people into Christianity. And in Ahmedi's case, there is an element of truth - he converted from Shia Islam three years ago after meeting an American evangelical. Now his wife and four children are also Christian, and he is the priest of a local church. He has even helped convert other Afghans.
The 23 South Koreans were kidnapped last week at gunpoint from a bus in Ghazni province, and belong to the Saemmul Church in Bundang, which says they are working as volunteer nurses and English teachers.
However, boasts from some evangelical church leaders in South Korea about unofficially sending missionaries to Afghanistan has muddied the water between Christian volunteers doing humanitarian work, and those whose primary mission is to seek converts overseas.
In Mazer-e-Sharif, a recent convert called Abdullah recalled how his family reacted when he revealed his change of faith. "When I received Jesus, I went to my house and I didn't say prayers any more like other Muslims," he said. "One night my father asked me to get up and pray, but I told him I can't. He asked me why, and I told him I was a Christian. He started to fight with me."
Abdullah's parents have come to accept his religion, but his oldest brother continues to ostracise him, and most other people do not even know he has converted. "If I go out and say I am a Christian they will curse me, hit me and kill me," he said, matter of factly.
Last year Abdul Rahman, a Christian convert, was arrested by police and threatened with the death penalty until the Italian government offered him asylum. His case is cited by many Afghans as evidence that President Hamid Karzai is a puppet of foreign powers.
Mazar-e-Sharif is home to the shrine of Hazrat Ali, a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohamed. According to Ahmedi, there are also two large churches and a number of smaller ones in the city, all hidden inside houses and offices.
Meanwhile, a group of foreign missionaries continues to work in the area and in other northern provinces. Taliban militants say the South Korea church volunteers are in good health, but they have threatened to kill them unless Seoul withdraws its troops from Afghanistan and the Afghan government releases Taliban prisoners. Yesterday the deadline for their lives was again extended.
Despite the dangers they face, Afghan Christians refuse to give in to the fear that they will be found out. "If I am afraid I will never receive Jesus," said Abdullah.
Where is the outrage over this kidnapping and threatened execution of these 23 South Korean missionaries in the mainstream media? Even Fox News is barely covering this story.
It is encouraging, though, that the Gospel can win converts to Jesus even in the face of severe persecution. Pray for these missionaries, and all of the brave souls preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Islamic lands.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment