Afghans in Kazakhstan. Many Americans have probably never heard of Kazakhstan, or if they have, really don't know where it is. (For reference, it's a large Central Asian country north of Afghanistan, but not bordering it.) It turns out that Afghans are not just leaving their country via the Kabul airport, but according to AsiaNews:
"Thousands of people are trying to cross the Afghan borders to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, on foot or by any other means, including 'illegal planes.' Several of them are precisely trying to reach Kazakhstan, considered the safest of the Central Asian countries for Afghan refugees."
The article, however, focuses on a small group of Afghan students who have been studying in Kazakhstan at a university in the city of Turkistan. Because of COVID their studies have been online, so most had returned home to Afghanistan. But now classes are resuming and they're stranded, unable to return to the university. One young woman described how dire the situation is for female students because of the Taliban's vile treatment of women.
Taliban a Threat to Indonesian Islam. This is a story I never expected. Said Agil Siroj, the President of Nahdluatul Ulama (NU), the world's largest Islamic organization, fears that the Taliban victory in Afghanistan will ultimately pose a severe threat to Indonesia, "giving rise to a new wave of radicalism." This is important for several reasons: Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, and radical Islam has been far less influential in East Asia when compared to Central Asia and the Middle East. According to the AsiaNews article, NU is a relatively moderate Islamic organization that has participated in inter-religious initiatives with Christians and others. They have also strongly resisted the radical fundamentalism of the Islamists. I suspect the Biden administration never considered the unintended consequences of their foolishly conceived and executed plan. The effects will be far-reaching.
The article also describes the evacuation of Indonesians from Afghanistan by the Indonesian Air Force, a flight that included five Filipinos as a result of a request by the Manila government. Filipinos, because they are mostly Christian, are in real danger from the Taliban.
To show how some Islamic nations are reacting to the Taliban takeover, Indonesia also moved its diplomatic mission from Kabul to Pakistan.
Afghan Christian Family Rescued. This is a wonderful story of a family forced to hide its Christianity because to do otherwise would mean death. A few weeks ago AsiaNews reported on an Afghan exile, Ali Ehsani, who write a book (in Italian) about his experiences as a child and a Christian during the Taliban's earlier rule. He spoke of his own family's need to hide their Christianity:
"My parents always put an extra plate at the table for guests. I said to them: 'We are poor, how can we have others?' My father replied: 'Jesus shared everything with others.' Then I asked, 'Who is Jesus?' And he said: 'We are Christians. Not a word more.'"
As an 8-year-old in the 1990s, Ehsani saw his parents killed and his home destroyed, so he and his brother fled Afghanistan and now live in Italy. Speaking of the Taliban now, he said, "Today I see them destroying the lives of people who have nothing, cutting their throats in front of their relatives. What kind of people are they?" He then added, "Don't leave Afghanistan alone."
Ehsani's more recent concern has been for a Christian family in Kabul. Describing the lives of these "hidden Christians," he said, "They move from area to area. They want to leave the country but have no one to help them. I am looking for a humanitarian channel that can help them."
As a result of that earlier article, AsiaNews was contacted by the Fondazione Meet Human, a branch of the Fondazione San Michele Arcangelo. Working with the Italian military, the foundation was able to extract the family and fly them to Rome. Endorsed by one of my heroes, Cardinal Robert Sarah, the foundation was created to "meet and support experiences of true humanity in the world committed to the integral realization of the person." I think a more concise translation of that little piece of foundation-speak is simply to say, "We help people in need." And they certainly helped this family which included eight children. As Daniele Nembrini of the Foundation said, "It might be a drop in the ocean, but the ocean is made up of drops."
If you want to understand better the events of this important part of our troubled world, I suggest making an occasional stop at AsiaNews.
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