Threat to deport persecuted Christians hits close to home for North Carolina church

Michie · Apr 25, 2025

Members of a North Carolina church are urging the Trump administration not to deport nearly two dozen Christian refugees from Afghanistan after they were ordered to leave the United States within days before their asylum claims have been heard by a judge.

Julie Tisdale, a seminary student who attends Church of the Apostles in Raleigh, is among members of her church who have been speaking out on behalf of the Afghan Christians who were ordered to leave the country by a deadline that passed about a week ago.

"We've been advocating with members of Congress and senators," she said in an interview with The Christian Post. "We've had some conversations with the staff who work on immigration issues in those offices. So in terms of advocacy, I would say that's been the big thing as well as some media stuff."

Continued below.

Threat to deport persecuted Christians hits close to home for North Carolina church

Members of a North Carolina church are urging the Trump administration not to deport nearly two dozen Christian refugees from Afghanistan after they were ordered to leave the United States within

www.christianpost.com

The Barbarian · May 18, 2025

I wonder if the Muslim or Buddhist Afghan refugees will get the same consideration.

JimR-OCDS · May 19, 2025

The Barbarian said:
I wonder if the Muslim or Buddhist Afghan refugees will get the same consideration.

Muslims aren't persecuted in Afghanistan, Christins and Buddhists. are, so they can't go back.

JosephZ · May 19, 2025

JimR-OCDS said:
Muslims aren't persecuted in Afghanistan, Christins and Buddhists. are, so they can't go back.

There are millions of Muslims in Afghanistan that are persecuted.

JimR-OCDS · May 19, 2025

JosephZ said:
There are millions of Muslims in Afghanistan that are persecuted.

Not like Christians and Buddhists.
In fact, as long as Muslims follow the religion, they are not persecuted.

Remember when the Muslims destroyed ancient Buddhist statues?

JosephZ · May 19, 2025

JimR-OCDS said:
Not like Christians and Buddhists.

In fact, as long as Muslims follow the religion, they are not persecuted.

Remember when the Muslims destroyed ancient Buddhist statues?

Yes, but that was not an attack on Buddhists; it was the Hazaras, a Shia Muslim ethnic group.

Hazaras in Afghanistan

Shi’a Hazaras are historically the most discriminated ethnic minority group in Afghanistan and have long faced violence and discrimination. Partly, this is to do with religious faith; historically, the Shi’a minority, regardless of ethnicity, has faced long-term persecution from the majority Sunni population.

Since the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan, the Hazara ethnic minority and Shia Muslim population have faced a devastating campaign of escalated violence, systematic discrimination, and social isolation,

A key moment in recent Hazara history is the destruction of the Bamyan Buddha statues by the Taliban in March 2001. The giant Buddha statues had long been central to the identity of the Hazara community. Hazaras celebrated the Buddha statues as heritage of a past civilisation in the heart of their homeland and had their own myths associated with the statues, unrelated to Buddhism. In some Hazara folklore, the statues are of a star-crossed couple Salsal and Shahmama, whose doomed love ends tragically in their deaths. The two remain forever separated, petrified in stone, looking out across the Bamyan valley.

In much of the international media this wanton destruction has been characterized as an assertion of the Taliban’s extreme reading of Islam that forbids representations of human features in art. What was missing in this media reporting were the views of local Hazaras who saw the targeting of the statues as an assertion of Taliban dominance over their culture and homeland. The destruction was, in fact, part of a larger campaign by the Taliban to suppress the rights and identity of Hazaras. In a private order to his commanders in 2001, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar specifically instructed that Hazara cultural heritage be destroyed and the celebration of Persian New Year, Jashn-e Nouroz, be prohibited.

Precarious Life: the fate of the Hazara people in Afghanistan

The Hazara, who are primarily Shi’a Muslims, have a rich oral tradition and these ancient stories are woven around their community, where they have become an important part of Hazara’s rich folklore. The folk tales have been passed down through generations, and traditionally would have been told as an attempt to explain the world around them.

The Buddhas had been central to the identity of the Hazara community for centuries. The Hazara did not built the colossal Buddhas, but the statues carried on their shoulders the ancient accounts of their ancestors.

According to the Hazara legend, the two Buddhas were the petrified bodies of the lovers Salsal and Shahmama, locked in an eternal separation.

The Bamiyan Buddhas were opportunistically propagated by the Taliban as symbols of idolatry and the Hazaras were accused of blasphemy. The physical destruction of heritage gave the Taliban the power to reject the Hazara, classify them as unimportant and erase them for the future generations. Cultural cleansing went paired with killing of the Hazaras, burning their houses, and expelling them from the Valley.

Revenge against “the West” and targeted violence against the Hazara community was a strong motivation behind the destruction.

In the 1890s, 60 percent of the Hazara population was murdered. They were dispossessed of their land, displaced from their homes, men, women, and children were sold and enslaved. They were once the largest Afghan ethnic group constituting nearly 67 per cent of the total population of the state before the 19th century. And the killings continued. It was in 1998 at the city of Mazar-i-Shariff that more than 8,000 Hazaras were systematic killed in a matter of days by the Taliban. Thousands of Hazaras were abducted, tortured, or taken as prisoners. Najibullah, a refugee who found a home in Canada, recalls being transported in the tank of a truck. They had no idea where they were being taken and it was so hot in the container that many died during the journey. When they arrived, even the elderly and the children were beaten with chains and denied food for 12 days.

Today, they are still faced with a multiple headed dragon, only it is in the form of systematic ethnic and religious persecution, executed by extremist Sunni Muslims.

JimR-OCDS · May 19, 2025

JosephZ said:
Yes, but that was not an attack on Buddhists; it was the Hazaras, a Shia Muslim ethnic group.

Hazaras in Afghanistan

Shi’a Hazaras are historically the most discriminated ethnic minority group in Afghanistan and have long faced violence and discrimination. Partly, this is to do with religious faith; historically, the Shi’a minority, regardless of ethnicity, has faced long-term persecution from the majority Sunni population.

Since the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan, the Hazara ethnic minority and Shia Muslim population have faced a devastating campaign of escalated violence, systematic discrimination, and social isolation,

A key moment in recent Hazara history is the destruction of the Bamyan Buddha statues by the Taliban in March 2001. The giant Buddha statues had long been central to the identity of the Hazara community. Hazaras celebrated the Buddha statues as heritage of a past civilisation in the heart of their homeland and had their own myths associated with the statues, unrelated to Buddhism. In some Hazara folklore, the statues are of a star-crossed couple Salsal and Shahmama, whose doomed love ends tragically in their deaths. The two remain forever separated, petrified in stone, looking out across the Bamyan valley.

In much of the international media this wanton destruction has been characterized as an assertion of the Taliban’s extreme reading of Islam that forbids representations of human features in art. What was missing in this media reporting were the views of local Hazaras who saw the targeting of the statues as an assertion of Taliban dominance over their culture and homeland. The destruction was, in fact, part of a larger campaign by the Taliban to suppress the rights and identity of Hazaras. In a private order to his commanders in 2001, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar specifically instructed that Hazara cultural heritage be destroyed and the celebration of Persian New Year, Jashn-e Nouroz, be prohibited.

Precarious Life: the fate of the Hazara people in Afghanistan

The Hazara, who are primarily Shi’a Muslims, have a rich oral tradition and these ancient stories are woven around their community, where they have become an important part of Hazara’s rich folklore. The folk tales have been passed down through generations, and traditionally would have been told as an attempt to explain the world around them.

The Buddhas had been central to the identity of the Hazara community for centuries. The Hazara did not built the colossal Buddhas, but the statues carried on their shoulders the ancient accounts of their ancestors.

According to the Hazara legend, the two Buddhas were the petrified bodies of the lovers Salsal and Shahmama, locked in an eternal separation.

The Bamiyan Buddhas were opportunistically propagated by the Taliban as symbols of idolatry and the Hazaras were accused of blasphemy. The physical destruction of heritage gave the Taliban the power to reject the Hazara, classify them as unimportant and erase them for the future generations. Cultural cleansing went paired with killing of the Hazaras, burning their houses, and expelling them from the Valley.

Revenge against “the West” and targeted violence against the Hazara community was a strong motivation behind the destruction.

In the 1890s, 60 percent of the Hazara population was murdered. They were dispossessed of their land, displaced from their homes, men, women, and children were sold and enslaved. They were once the largest Afghan ethnic group constituting nearly 67 per cent of the total population of the state before the 19th century. And the killings continued. It was in 1998 at the city of Mazar-i-Shariff that more than 8,000 Hazaras were systematic killed in a matter of days by the Taliban. Thousands of Hazaras were abducted, tortured, or taken as prisoners. Najibullah, a refugee who found a home in Canada, recalls being transported in the tank of a truck. They had no idea where they were being taken and it was so hot in the container that many died during the journey. When they arrived, even the elderly and the children were beaten with chains and denied food for 12 days.

Today, they are still faced with a multiple headed dragon, only it is in the form of systematic ethnic and religious persecution, executed by extremist Sunni Muslims.

I agree that the destruction of the Buddhist statues was by the Taliban, but the Taliban prohibits Buddhism and Christianity
in Afghanistan.

They also persecute the Muslims who helped the Americans and sided with the temporary Afghan government, led by the
Nothern Alliance. However that is not because of their Islamic faith, but because in the eyes of the Taliban, they
committed treason.

However, in the case story of this thread, we're talking about Christians from Afghanistan. They cannot return to Afghanistan or
they'll be put to death by the Taliban Government,

The Barbarian · May 19, 2025

JimR-OCDS said:
Muslims aren't persecuted in Afghanistan, Christins and Buddhists. are, so they can't go back.

Those Muslims who supported our troops are being persecuted in Afghanistan. It is despicably disloyal to them, to force them back to persecution after they helped us.

JosephZ · May 19, 2025

JimR-OCDS said:
I agree that the destruction of the Buddhist statues was by the Taliban, but the Taliban prohibits Buddhism and Christianity
in Afghanistan.

They also persecute the Muslims who helped the Americans and sided with the temporary Afghan government, led by the
Nothern Alliance. However that is not because of their Islamic faith, but because in the eyes of the Taliban, they
committed treason.

in the case story of this thread, we're talking about Christians from Afghanistan. They cannot return to Afghanistan or
they'll be put to death by the Taliban Government,

Because their Islamic faith differs from that of the Taliban and also the ISKP, Shia Muslims that fled Afghanistan will face the same threats of violence, discrimination, and persecution as Christians if they return.

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing Religious Freedom Conditions in Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan

The Shia community, particularly the Hazaras, has been subjected to systematic and targeted attacks. Their schools and residential areas have frequently been bombed and violently attacked, resulting in significant casualties and injuries. Some of the deadliest attacks have been carried out by, and claimed by, the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP). In an official statement, ISIS declared that "it would target Shia in their homes and centers in every way, from slaughtering their necks to scattering their limbs... and the news of [ISIS's] attacks...in the temples of the [Shia] and their gatherings is not hidden from anyone, from Baghdad to Khorasan." According to Human Rights Watch, ISKP and ISIS have repeatedly attacked Hazaras and other religious minorities at their mosques, schools, and workplaces.

In addition to violent attacks, the Taliban have severely restricted Shia religious practices. For example, Muharram/Ashura, a sacred period of mourning for Shia Muslims, observed by people across Afghanistan, was previously commemorated publicly, but under Taliban rule, mourners have been forced to limit their activities to private homes. Also, the Taliban forced Hazara residents in Daikundi Province to break their Ramadan fast early according to the Sunni timetable, beating and imprisoning those who disobeyed. Similarly, in Balkh Province, they mandated that the Shia community observe Eid al-Fitr based on Sunni jurisprudence dictated by Taliban leaders. Furthermore, the teaching of Shia jurisprudence has been banned, and marriages between Shia and Sunni individuals have been prohibited.

JimR-OCDS · May 19, 2025

The Barbarian said:
Those Muslims who supported our troops are being persecuted in Afghanistan. It is despicably disloyal to them, to force them back to persecution after they helped us.

But they weren't persecuted because they were Muslims, but because they supported the Americans and the
installed Afghanistan Government.

Christians and Buddhists are persecuted for their religious beliefs, which goes against Islam.

JimR-OCDS · May 19, 2025

JosephZ said:
Because their Islamic faith differs from that of the Taliban and also the ISKP, Shia Muslims that fled Afghanistan will face the same threats of violence, discrimination, and persecution as Christians if they return.

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing Religious Freedom Conditions in Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan

The Shia community, particularly the Hazaras, has been subjected to systematic and targeted attacks. Their schools and residential areas have frequently been bombed and violently attacked, resulting in significant casualties and injuries. Some of the deadliest attacks have been carried out by, and claimed by, the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP). In an official statement, ISIS declared that "it would target Shia in their homes and centers in every way, from slaughtering their necks to scattering their limbs... and the news of [ISIS's] attacks...in the temples of the [Shia] and their gatherings is not hidden from anyone, from Baghdad to Khorasan." According to Human Rights Watch, ISKP and ISIS have repeatedly attacked Hazaras and other religious minorities at their mosques, schools, and workplaces.

In addition to violent attacks, the Taliban have severely restricted Shia religious practices. For example, Muharram/Ashura, a sacred period of mourning for Shia Muslims, observed by people across Afghanistan, was previously commemorated publicly, but under Taliban rule, mourners have been forced to limit their activities to private homes. Also, the Taliban forced Hazara residents in Daikundi Province to break their Ramadan fast early according to the Sunni timetable, beating and imprisoning those who disobeyed. Similarly, in Balkh Province, they mandated that the Shia community observe Eid al-Fitr based on Sunni jurisprudence dictated by Taliban leaders. Furthermore, the teaching of Shia jurisprudence has been banned, and marriages between Shia and Sunni individuals have been prohibited.

The point here is that it would be dangerous even deadly for the Christians in NC to be forced to return to Afghanistan.
They are truly qualified to receive asylum here.

JosephZ · May 19, 2025

JimR-OCDS said:
The point here is that it would be dangerous even deadly for the Christians in NC to be forced to return to Afghanistan.
They are truly qualified to receive asylum here.

You don't think the Muslim refugees in NC should qualify for asylum? They have also faced religious persecution in Afghanistan, and it would also be dangerous or even deadly for them to be forced to return to that country.

JimR-OCDS said:
Christians and Buddhists are persecuted for their religious beliefs, which goes against Islam.

Christians, Buddhists, Shia Muslims, and many Sunni Salafi Muslims are persecuted in Afghanistan for their religious beliefs, which go against the Taliban's extremist interpretation of Islam.

John G. · May 19, 2025

JimR-OCDS said:
The point here is that it would be dangerous even deadly for the Christians in NC to be forced to return to Afghanistan.
They are truly qualified to receive asylum here.

I agree with this but only 90%.
If these people truly were refugees, did they not find a safe country in their journey between Afghanistan and the USA?

JimR-OCDS · May 19, 2025

JosephZ said:
You don't think the Muslim refugees in NC should qualify for asylum?

I don't know, that's not the issue that is taking place according to this thread.

I agree, if they are facing danger by being forced back, then certainly they qualify
for asylum.

JimR-OCDS · May 19, 2025

John G. said:
I agree with this but only 90%.
If these people truly were refugees, did they not find a safe country in their journey between Afghanistan and the USA?

I don't think it matters as they are here now, and it would be dangerous to send them back to
Afghanistan.

The Barbarian · May 19, 2025

JimR-OCDS said:
But they weren't persecuted because they were Muslims, but because they supported the Americans and the
installed Afghanistan Government.

How does that make the persecution O.K.? These Muslims tried to help us and now the Trump administration is betraying them to the enemy.

RileyG · May 19, 2025

Lord have mercy!

RileyG · May 19, 2025

JosephZ said:
There are millions of Muslims in Afghanistan that are persecuted.

Yes. By other Muslims if they aren't "radical" enough.

JimR-OCDS · May 20, 2025

The Barbarian said:
How does that make the persecution O.K.? These Muslims tried to help us and now the Trump administration is betraying them to the enemy.

Just keep trolling down the rabbit hole with your questions, please post where I said persecution was OK.

Once again, they were not persecuted because they were Muslims, but because they helped the Americans
and Afghan government.

The Christians in the subject of this thread, can not be sent back to Afghanistan without being persecuted
because of their faith.

JosephZ · May 20, 2025

JimR-OCDS said:
However, in the case story of this thread, we're talking about Christians from Afghanistan. They cannot return to Afghanistan or
they'll be put to death by the Taliban Government,

Unfortunately, the Secretary of Homeland Security disagrees.

DHS Terminating Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan

Release Date
05/12/2025

“We’ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation. Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country." -- Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem

After consultation with interagency partners, Secretary Noem determined that conditions in Afghanistan no longer meet the statutory requirements. The Secretary’s decision was based on a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services review of the country conditions and in consultation with the Department of State. The Secretary determined that, overall, there are notable improvements in the security and economic situation such that requiring the return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan does not pose a threat to their personal safety due to ongoing-armed conflict or extraordinary and temporary conditions.

Threat to deport persecuted Christians hits close to home for North Carolina church

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