Living and Dying for Christ in Afghanistan

In a crisis that seems to have gone almost unnoticed by the American press, members of the Afghani Taliban raided a bus of South Korean Christians on July 19, taking 23 mission workers hostage. The latest reports are sad. According to Taliban leaders, a second captive was killed last Wednesday, Bae Hyung Kyu, a minister who turned 42 on the same day as his murder and who leaves behind a young family. If the Afghani government refuses to respond, the radicals threaten to execute other missionaries, who are said to be in poor health since their capture. This crisis underlines the point that U.S. policy must support securing religious freedom for everyone. For example, ancient Christian communities are suffering dreadfully in Iraq from Islamic extremists. It may be time for the U.S. and the international community to insist on the establishment of a safe harbor zone in Iraq for these communities. At the same time, while the South Koreans held hostage in Afghanistan face circumstances and fear unfathomable to most of us, please pray for their peace, comfort, safety, and, most importantly, swift release.