No Christian churches remain in Afghanistan

(Oct. 12, 2011) The US State Department reports that there is no Christian church open to the public in Afghanistan. There are also no Christian schools. The State Department has acknowledged that Afghanistan has seen a decrease in religious liberty in the past decade, since American troops have been active there. The last known Christian church was demolished in 2010. This reflects the state of religious freedom in that country, ten years after the United States first invaded it and overthrew its Islamist Taliban regime. Negative societal opinions and suspicion of Christian activities led to targeting of Christian groups and individuals, including Muslim converts to Christianity," reads the State Department report. "The lack of government responsiveness and protection for these groups and individuals contributed to the deterioration of religious freedom. Most Christians in the country refuse to state their beliefs or gather openly to worship,” said the report
According to the State Department report, the United States continues to promote religious freedom in Afghanistan, even though the country no longer has even one Christian church. “The U.S. government regularly discusses religious freedom with government officials, as part of its overall policy to promote human rights,” according to the report.
It said more than 99 percent of the population, estimated between 24 and 33 million people, is either Sunni (80 percent) or Shia (19 percent) Muslim. Non-Muslim religious groups, including the estimated 500 to 8,000 strong Christian community in the country, make up less than 1 percent of the population. Other non-Muslim groups in the country are Sikhs, Bahais, and Hindus.