Said Musa (45) and Shoaib Assadullah (25), are being held in prisons in Afghanistan because they have left Islam to follow Christ. Said, a father of six, was arrested in May 2010 as part of a crackdown against Afghan converts to Christianity. He has been tortured and abused in Kabul prison, and his case has been repeatedly delayed. A lawyer said it was impossible to fight such a case in Afghanistan and that if Said faced a judge he would be given three days “and after that he will execute you”. Shoaib was arrested in October 2010 for giving a New Testament in the national Dari language to another Afghan. He was offered his freedom if he would deny Christ, but he refused. At one court appearance, the judge gave him one week to renounce Christianity, otherwise he would be killed for his faith. Shoaib has stated that he has given his life completely into the hands of Jesus, saying, “Without my faith I would not be able to live.” Full Story

Despite the tiny Christian population in Afghanistan, its government specifically targets Christians, and specifically ordered the public execution of a handful of Afghan converts caught on film being baptized. In May, an Afghan TV station aired video of a baptism and prayer service. Now, the few Christians that do reside here have been driven into hiding in more rural areas. A spokesperson of president Hamid Karzai announced on June 1, that he will take measures to prevent any more conversions to Christianity. In a safe house in Kabul, a man in his 30s named Najib is waiting also. Najib fled, too, but returned when he felt he had nowhere else to go. That’s when he learned that his extended family—who are Muslims—had sold all he owned—house, car, belongings—and taken the proceeds. He and his children—ages 9-14—have holed up here for over a week, unsure where to go next. Najib himself converted to Christianity in Iran almost 10 years ago, working to dig wells when he met Iranian believers. “They were singing songs and worshiping God,” he said. “I thought you could only worship God with sorrow. This was good news for me.” Full Story