In light of the Taliban takeover, Ian Paisley, a member of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, spoke before the House of Commons on 18 August 2021, emphasizing the importance of evacuating missionaries to safety.
It is noted that the Taliban forces took over Afghanistan last Monday, 16 August 2021, forcing people to flee from the country. This includes over 10,000 American citizens and Afghan.
Paisley said that the Prime Minister to the UK should be aware that the 228 Christian missionaries will be under death sentence if caught.
In his privilege speech, the MP asked if the prime minister can assure the full effort to bring back the people whose lives are now in danger.
Johnson responded that the government is doing everything it can to evacuate people from Afghanistan and pledged to resettle about 20,000 Afghans and foreigners from the embattled country.
The Prime Minister also added, “I can tell the House that we have so far secured the safe return of 306 U.K. nationals and 2,052 Afghan nationals as part of our resettlement program, with a further 2,000 Afghan applications completed and many more being processed.”
Open Doors USA, a Christian non-profit organization that monitors different countries. In its list, it has put Afghanistan as the second most dangerous place to live for Christians. North Korea is the first.
“It is impossible to live openly as a Christian in Afghanistan. Leaving Islam is considered shameful, and Christian converts face dire consequences if their new faith is discovered,” stated Open Doors earlier this year.
In Afghanistan, even prior to the Taliban takeover, Christians are “extremely” vulnerable to persecution. The areas that the Taliban are now controlling are the most oppressive but anywhere in the country is dangerous for Christians to express or practice their beliefs.