According to the U.S. State Department, there is not a single, public Christian church left in Afghanistan. This reflects the state of religious freedom in Afghanistan 10 years after the United States first invaded it and overthrew its Islamist Taliban regime. In the intervening decade, U.S. taxpayers have spent $440 billion to support Afghanistan’s new government and more than 1,700 U.S. military personnel have died serving in Afghanistan.
The last public Christian church in Afghanistan was razed in March 2010, according to the State Department’s latest International Religious Freedom Report. The report, covering the period of July 1, 2010, through Dec. 31, 2010, also states that “there were no Christian schools in the country … There is no longer a public Christian church; the courts have not upheld the church’s claim to its 99-year lease, and the landowner destroyed the building in March [2010],” reads the State Department report on religious freedom. “[Private] chapels and churches for the international community of various faiths are located on several military bases, PRTs [Provincial Reconstruction Teams], and at the Italian embassy. Some citizens who converted to Christianity as refugees have returned.”
Religious freedom, beyond Islam in Afghanistan, is dealt with harshly. This is the nature of Islam as inspired by the Koran and Hadith. In reference to military operations in Afghanistan, U.S. personnel are also prevented from proselytizing in any way. Point, this is a dark country in need of light.
This is a sad commentary on Afghanistan and the nature of Islam.