Afghanistan’s Christians have to keep their faith secret. If the Taliban find out, the Christian could be killed – as Khada found out.

The last time Khada* saw her husband was an ordinary day – or as ordinary as any day can be in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021. Afghan citizens face daily restrictions, oppression and danger, and nobody more so than people like Khada and her husband, Ehsan*: Afghanistan’s underground Christians. On that ‘ordinary’ day, their worst fears came true. Ehsan disappeared.

Christians in Afghanistan have to make sure their faith isn’t discovered by the wrong people – but the church in the country is growing. They are part of a silent, worldwide group who don’t know each other’s names and may never see each other’s faces: the secret church.

Khada’s secret gift

Khada was born into a deeply religious Muslim family. She expected to follow the same path as her mother: marry the Muslim man chosen by her parents and raise a devout Muslim family herself.

Sure enough, Khada married Ehsan, as arranged by their families. She moved in with her in-laws, and the union was very happy. “Our relations at home were very good,” she remembers. “Everyone loved me, especially my husband who loved me immensely.”

It was relatively common, then, for Afghan women to have jobs – something seldom now possible under the Taliban regime. Khada enjoyed working in an office and was close with her boss. “We became friends, and I felt free in front of her,” Khada says. “I shared all the stories of my life, and she shared her life stories too.”

One day, Khada’s boss made an extraordinarily brave decision. She gave Khada a Bible.

Amazed by the Bible

In Afghanistan, even before the Taliban takeover, it was extremely risky to give a Muslim a Bible. It’s illegal to convert from Islam and very dangerous to share your faith – Khada’s Christian boss took a huge risk in giving her the Word of God.

When Khada got home, she showed the Bible to Ehsan. They both knew the Quran thoroughly but didn’t know what was in the Bible, and were curious to find out. Over the next six months, they read through it all – and were amazed at what they found.

“When I took the book home and started reading it with my husband, at first, many questions came to our minds,” says Khada. “We solved those questions together.”

Under the law, women are second-class citizens and expected to obey their husbands or male relatives. However, Ehsan was kind and respected and trusted his wife. “He loved me a lot, and we both always chose the same path,” remembers Khada. “When we read the book, my husband told me, ‘Whatever path you take, I am your best ally and I will follow you.’”

Together, they made the courageous, life-changing decision to follow Jesus.

Sharing the gospel with their family

Having made this choice, Khada and Ehsan decided to get baptised. They couldn’t do this in a church, of course – there aren’t any church buildings in Afghanistan. But it was still a very special moment. Khada even received physical healing at her baptism, having suffered from bad headaches for years. She says, “From that day on, my headache disappeared, and I am completely fine now.”

Khada and Ehsan knew they had to keep their new faith secret from the authorities. They couldn’t go to a church, worship aloud or wear a cross. But they didn’t want to keep their faith hidden from everyone. Some secret believers around the world can’t tell anyone at all about their choice to follow Jesus – but Khada and Ehsan decided to risk sharing the gospel with her family.

They started with Khada’s brother. “He was anxious due to unemployment,” Khada says. “I asked him to learn stories from the Old Testament, and he believed. Later, I shared stories with my family and they all became believers! My husband shared stories with his sister, and she became a believer. We continued spreading our faith.”

This courageous couple were seeing incredible fruit, and had a period of joy. But their happiness was short-lived.

The day everything changed

Khada doesn’t know how or when Ehsan’s secret faith was discovered. They had been cautious only to tell people they trusted. But one day, when Ehsan was on his way to an underground Bible study group, she realised the secret must have got out.

“His phone was turned off and it didn’t ring. I thought at first that maybe his phone wasn’t working,” says Khada. “I also called someone from my family and there was still no news from him. I felt fear and all kinds of thoughts.”

As day stretched into night, Khada’s fears grew. She didn’t hear anything for two days. Then she received the news she’d been dreading. Ehsan’s dead body had been found. He lost his life for his faith.

“It was traumatic, and I fell into a coma,” says Khada. “When I regained consciousness, I found myself at home and my husband’s body was being taken for burial.”

Khada courageously chose to keep following Jesus

Khada was absolutely devastated. She’s learned the huge cost of following Jesus in a country as dangerous for Christians as Afghanistan. But she also knows that He is worth that cost. “I continue to be a servant of Christ, following His example of humility and greatness,” she says. “In the difficult Taliban regime, we face challenges, but with strong faith, we persevere.”

Khada’s former boss, who had given her the Bible, was one of the people who comforted her – reassuring her that Ehsan was now with Christ. “I stopped crying, read Ephesians 6 and vowed to serve in the way of Christ,” says Khada.

Ephesians 6 reminds her to ‘be strong in the Lord and in his might power’ (v10) and to ‘pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds and requests’ (v18). Every evening, she spends time in prayer with Jesus – the part of the day that she and Ehsan would set aside to read and discuss the Bible. “In the past, all my stories and conversations were with my husband,” she says. “Now, all of them are with Jesus, and I tell Him stories every night and every day. I believe that He is listening and hears all my conversations.”

 

Livelihood project is bringing hope

Under the Taliban rule, Khada isn’t allowed to work in her office anymore. But, with the help of Open Doors local partners, she’s been able to start a small business – this means she can trade with her neighbours and friends, and can provide for her children. It’s one of the key ways that your gifts and prayers can help bring practical hope to secret believers like Khada. Open Doors supports partners both inside and outside of Afghanistan through various initiatives: Bible translation, livelihood projects, vocational training, radio broadcasts and supporting widows and orphans.

Life is hard, but Khada is not without hope. She’s part of an underground community of believers. “We support each other through our faith by reading the Bible,” she says. “Despite the challenges, I found happiness in my new life without my husband, supported by my faithful brothers and sisters.”

More and more people are choosing to be part of the underground Afghan church. An Open Doors secret fieldworker in Afghanistan shares: “The Taliban enforce an extreme version of Islam, and they oppress the people who do not have the right to choose. The people of Afghanistan are thirsty for love because, for decades, they have experienced war and misery. So when our servant leaders explain Christianity and the love of Jesus to them, it seems different to what they experience from the Taliban.

“That’s why I feel optimistic for the future of believers in Afghanistan. I remain hopeful for the future of believers in Afghanistan and believe that one day we can bring about positive changes in the country’s overall culture. Despite hardships, believers’ unwavering faith in Jesus Christ motivates them to operate covertly, spreading the good news among their fellow Afghans.”

Secret believers need you today

The good news comes with terrible persecution, but believers like Khada know that following Jesus is worth the cost. Her story is echoed throughout the world, in places where Christians have converted from Islam and have to keep their faith secret. Small communities of believers come together to support one another.

“Brothers and sisters who have more to share help each other,” she says. “This is the strong faith that Jesus gave us, so that we can support each other and remove hardships among our brothers and sisters.”

Khada’s hope is that, today, you will be one of those brothers and sisters who help each other. Now you know Khada’s secret, will you show believers like her that they aren’t alone or forgotten? Your gift and prayers can make an incredible difference to secret believers in places like Afghanistan, daring to follow Jesus, even though they know the heartbreaking cost of that decision.

*Names changed for security reasons

Source and photo: Open Doors