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Afghanistan: the Situation of Christian Converts

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Afghanistan: the Situation of Christian Converts +*-/ !"#)$./) # .$/0/$*)*!#-$./$)*)1 -/. 7 April 2021 © Landinfo 2021 The material in this report is covered by copyright law. Any reproduction or publication of this report or any extract thereof other than as permitted by current Norwegian copyright law requires the explicit written consent of Landinfo. For information on all of the reports published by Landinfo, please contact: Landinfo Country of Origin Information Centre Storgata 33 A P.O. Box 2098 Vika NO-0125 Oslo Tel.: (+47) 23 30 94 70 Ema il: [email protected] www.landinfo.no *0/ )$)!*ҁ. - +*-/. The Norwegian Country of Origin Information Centre, Landinfo, is an independent body within the Norwegian Immigration Authorities. Landinfo provides country of origin information (COI) to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (Utlendingsdirektoratet – UDI), the Immigration Appeals Board (Utlendingsnemnda – UNE) and the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security. Reports produced by Landinfo are based on information from carefully selected sources. The informa tion is collected a nd analysed in accordance with common methodology for processing COI and Landinfo’s internal guidelines on source and information analysis. To ensure balanced reports, efforts are made to obtain information from a wide range of sources. Many of our reports draw on findings and interviews conducted on fact-finding missions. All sources used are referenced. Sources hesitant to provide information to be cited in a public report have retained anonymity. The reports do not provide exhaustive overviews of topics or themes but cover aspects relevant for the processing of asylum and residency cases. Country of Origin Information presented in Landinfo’s reports does not contain policy recommendations nor does it reflect official Norwegian views. The following asylum and migration departments and offices contributed by reviewing this report: x The Netherlands, Office for Country Information and Language Analysis, Ministry of Justice x Poland, Office for Foreigners, Department for Refugee Procedures x Germany, Federal Office for Migration and Refugees x EASO, European Asylum Support Office It must be noted that the review carried out by the mentioned departments, experts or organisations contributes to the overall quality of the report, it but does not necessarily imply their formal endorsement of the final report, which is the full responsibility of Landinfo. +*-/ !"#)$./)ѷ # .$/0/$*) *!#-$./$) *)1 -/. Ҍц спсрҌт 0((-4 The situation of Afghan converts must be understood in light of Islam’s all- encompassing influence in the country. Islam binds the Afghan nation together. In contrast to identities based on ethnicity, tribe and clan, virtually the entire population has a shared Muslim identity. There is a small Christian minority in Afghanistan, all of whom are converts. There is great uncertainty about the number of Christian converts, and estimates range from a few dozen to several thousand. Christian converts practise their faith in secret, mainly in private house churches. Information about Christianity is more accessible than before through increased use of digital platforms and social media. Christian material, including the Bible in Dari and Pashto, is available online. Conversion is punishable by death unless the convert expresses remorse. There is little evidence from case law; only one case has been brought before Afghan courts after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. No verdict was handed down in the case, however. Converts risk sanctions and pressure from their families. (( )-" Situasjonen til afghanske konvertitter må forstås i lys av islams altomfattende innflytelse i landet. Islam binder den afghanske nasjonen sammen. I motsetning til identitet basert på etnisitet, stamme og klan, har så godt som hele befolkningen en felles muslimsk identitet. Det finnes en liten kristen minoritet i Afghanistan, som alle er konvertitter. Det er knyttet stor usikkerhet til antallet, og anslagene spriker fra noen titalls til flere tusen. Kristne konvertitter utøver sin tro i skjul, hovedsakelig i private husmenigheter. Informasjon om kristendommen er mer tilgjengelig enn tidligere gjennom økt bruk av digitale plattformer og sosiale medier. Kristent materiell, blant annet Bibelen på dari og pashto, er tilgjengelig online. Konvertering kan straffes med døden med mindre konvertitten gir uttrykk for anger. Det finnes lite rettspraksis; kun én sak har vært reist for afghanske domstoler etter Taliban-regimets fall i 2001, men det ble ikke avsagt dom i saken. Konvertitter risikerer sanksjoner og press fra egen familie. +*-/ !"#)$./)ѷ # .$/0/$*) *!#-$./$) *)1 -/. Ҍц спсрҌу *)/ )/. 1 Introduction............................................................................................. 6 1.1 Sources ................................................................................................ 6 2 The role of Islam role in Afghanistan ................................................... 8 2.1 The importance of Islam to everyday and family life ......................... 9 2.2 The demographic backdrop ............................................................... 10 3 The small Christian minority .............................................................. 11 3.1 ‘All Afghan Christians are converts from Islam’ .............................. 12 4 Christian Afghans practise their faith in secret ................................. 13 4.1 House churches.................................................................................. 13 4.2 Most converts live in the cities .......................................................... 14 4.3 The extended family is the greatest threat to converts ...................... 15 5 Access to information about Christianity in Afghanistan................. 15 5.1 Attitude to Christianity among Afghans............................................ 16 5.2 Freedom to bear witness to the Christian faith .................................. 16 5.2.1 The scope of active proselytising .................................................... 17 5.2.1.1Sanctions against foreign nationals accused of proselytising ........ 18 5.3 Access to Bibles and Christian material ............................................ 19 5.3.1 Digital platforms with Christian content targeting Afghans .............. 20 5.3.2 Christian symbols and tattoos ......................................................... 21 6 Formal and legal framework ............................................................... 22 6.1 The Constitution, the Penal Code and Sharia .................................... 22 6.1.1 Afghanistan maintains the death penalty for conversion – what does case law show? ...................................................................... 23 6.2 Possibility of recanting a conversion................................................. 24 6.2.1 The Hanafi jurisprudence applies to cases of apostasy and conversion .................................................................................... 25 6.2.2 The conversion case against Abdul Rahman .................................... 25 6.3 Civil law consequences of conversion .............................................. 26 7 Experience concerning Christian converts......................................... 28 7.1 Reports from UNHCR and other international organisations on converts.............................................................................................. 28 7.2 Accusations of conversion – in and outside the court system ........... 29 7.2.1 Converts’ willingness to migrate .................................................... 30 8 Afghans claiming to be converts for strategic reasons ...................... 31 8.1 Security for Afghans claiming to have converted for strategic reasons ............................................................................................... 33 8.1.1 Access to information about Afghan asylum seekers’ grounds for applying for asylum.................................................................. 34 8.1.2 Possible reactions if claims of conversion become known ................ 34 9 References.............................................................................................. 36 +*-/ !"#)$./)ѷ # .$/0/$*) *!#-$./$) *)1 -/. Ҍц спсрҌф р )/-*0/$*) The topic of this report is Afghan nationals who have converted from Islam to Christianity. Leaving Islam is a serious matter and can lead to strong penal and social sanctions. In addition to leaving Islam, converts have converted to another religion. Conversion means adopting the traditions of a congregation and performing religious rituals and confessions. Renouncing or doubting the existence of God, on the other hand, does not entail any expectations of or requirements for behaviour in everyday life. The situation of Afghans who leave Islam in favour of Christianity must be understood in light of Islam's all-encompassing influence in Afghanistan. Islam, Sharia, traditional law and family culture are closely intertwined. Religiosity cannot be understood within a Western secular framework, where people’s beliefs are in most cases an individual and private matter and individuals are free to decide whether, where and how to express their faith. For example, leaving Islam in Afghanistan cannot be compared with leaving the Church of Norway. In Afghanistan, religious beliefs and statements about religion are a collective and public concern: affiliation to Islam is a fundamental precondition for a group’s status and position and for an individual’s
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