Life has gone from bad to worse for LGBTQ persons in Afghanistan during the year since the Taliban took control of the nation, attorney and human rights activist Joseph Azam said. He spoke during an Aug. 24 webinar hosted by…
If you’re upset about the Taliban, you should be upset about Christian nationalists too, panelist says
Americans shouldn’t judge the Taliban too harshly for its fierce opposition to religious pluralism in Afghanistan when the United States is host to the growing and violent Christian nationalist movement that inspired the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol,…
Religious minorities and others at grave risk in Afghanistan and urgent action needed, U.S. panel declares
The United States and the global community must pressure the Taliban to cease persecuting Afghanistan’s religious and ethnic minorities, women, LGBTQ communities and even Muslims, said a virtual panel of experts convened Oct. 6 by the U.S. Commission on International…
Leaving Afghanistan was the right thing done the wrong way, Americans say in two polls
Doing the right thing the wrong way seems to summarize how Americans feel about the United States’ exit from its 20-year occupation of Afghanistan. Two national polls, conducted about a week apart, show growing confidence among Americans that leaving Afghanistan…
Escaped from Afghanistan: One family’s story of terror
Mustafa Aria, 14, escaped from terror-torn Afghanistan with his family just days ago, airlifted by the United States military from Kabul to Qatar to Germany and then by United Airlines to Washington, D.C. On Sunday, after grueling days at the…
Uganda opens its doors to welcome 2,000 Afghan refugees
As concerns mount across the world over what to do about the increasing number of people fleeing Afghanistan after the country’s government was toppled by the Taliban, the East African nation of Uganda has offered to accommodate 2,000 refugees. This…
‘Humanitarian catastrophe’ unfolding in Afghanistan
“What we are witnessing, in real time, is a humanitarian catastrophe.” That’s the grim assessment of the situation in Afghanistan this week by one of the foremost authorities on immigration work in the United States. Ali Noorani, president of the…
Will U.S. departure from Afghanistan create a humanitarian and religious freedom crisis?
The plan to withdraw all American forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 has become increasingly problematic for the Biden administration, which is faced not only with gradually and safely returning military personnel to the U.S. but also grappling with the…
World religious leaders remember Shahbaz Bhatti as martyr 10 years later
World religious leaders, policymakers and human rights activists gathered virtually March 2 to mark the 10-year anniversary of the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, the Pakistani Christian politician targeted by the Taliban for championing religious freedom. His killers never were prosecuted….