US Must Help Religious Minorities Fleeing the Taliban
The withdrawal of the United States and its allies, and the return of Taliban supremacy, puts many Afghans in mortal danger. Although the U.S. could not have stayed in Afghanistan indefinitely, having spent 20 years on the ground there, America does bear significant responsibility for what happens to ordinary Afghan citizens. There is a very clear obligation to those who will suffer most and likely die at the hands of the Taliban.
Amongst the Afghans in gravest peril are religious minorities. Many Sikhs, Hindus, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and Hazara Shi’as have sought a way out of the country. It has taken longer than it should have to convince the U.S. government and others involved in resettlement that religious identity is an indicator of serious risk from Taliban violence, and that named people from within religious communities should be prioritized for resettlement.
Christians are in particular danger. Afghanistan has no long-established Christian denominations and traditions, so because Afghan Christians converted from Islam, all are considered “apostates” by the Taliban. While many Christians don’t face an acute and immediate threat as their identities are presently unknown to the Taliban, for others, life in Afghanistan is no longer viable. Some of these are known to be ministers or pastors. Others are on government databases, now in the hands of Islamist extremists, who sent ominous ultimata shortly before the fall of Kabul.
Our estimates show that only about 100 Christian families seeking refuge outside the country. Many of these made several harrowing attempts to get on flights out of Hamid Karzai International Airport in the last days of August. Even with the necessary paperwork, and chartered flights waiting on the tarmac, they were refused access through the airport gates by our forces personnel. The elderly, women, and children sat in agreed pick-up spots for hours on end, waiting in the heat of the day for help that never came. Some have sought to flee across land borders but were turned back by the surrounding nations who do not want refugees. Exhausted, they now exist underground. They are in hiding, fearing a knock on the door.
In the meantime, those of us who have been seeking to support and defend them have been working day and night, planning exfiltration operations, reviewing intelligence on routes and hazards, liaising with religious leaders, and pressing for diplomatic solutions to open a door for these besieged Afghans, all to no avail with all exits barred. Whatever the explanation, it has often felt as though we have been fighting against our own governments to save a few hundred lives.
The Biden Administration must not compound a humiliating and undignified defeat with abdication of its moral responsibilities, for the sake of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed in the name of freedom, and for those that America left behind. Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan have intimated that they will allow these Afghans across their borders, but only if their transit to other countries is confirmed. The U.S. and United Kingdom have a responsibility to act decisively and immediately to provide confirmation to bordering countries, to issue visas, and to get these Afghans to safety. There is no time for bureaucratic dithering. We must act now. Every day that passes brings the Taliban closer to their prey.
Miles P.J. Windsor serves as Senior Manager for Strategy and Campaigns with the Middle East Action Team at the Religious Freedom Institute. Miles has over a decade of experience in international affairs and religious freedom, during that time focusing on the Middle East and North Africa.
