“We Just Need a Place to Call Home” – the dilemma of an Afghan Christian

Hamid* is a young Afghan man in his thirties. He left his country of birth and now lives in a state of limbo in Central Asia. For years, he and his family have lived as migrants in Central Asia, carrying with them the memories of Afghanistan, the pressures of displacement, and the costly hope of faith.

“In the toughest time Jesus has shown himself,” he says. “It’s about the peace that we needed in our heart that he has gifted us freely.”

Choosing Jesus Despite the Cost

In his family, Hamid was the first to follow Jesus. At first, the reaction was hard for him to take.

“My family said what I did was really wrong,” he recalls. But he chose to keep going back in love. “As a Christian [Jesus] is telling me to always go first to apologise, to talk, to make the peace.” Over time, he says, “Jesus also touched their hearts and praise God my family is also now Christian.”

In Afghanistan, he says, conversion can cost everything.

“Definitely if someone knows, they happily will kill us,” he says. “As a Christian you are playing with your life.” Yet his faith has changed how he sees even death: “When you have so much understanding about Jesus, there is less fear from earthly death or suffering because we know the thing that awaits us will definitely be more beautiful than here.”

A Narrow Escape

For Afghan Christians, survival often means secrecy. Christians may outwardly follow local expectations while inwardly praying to Jesus.

“In my head I pray to my Lord Jesus,” he says. “But it is not something said publicly because this is too dangerous.”

According to Hamid, in Central Asia, life is safer than Afghanistan, but far from secure. Afghan Christians still face suspicion, limited work opportunities, and the constant fear of deportation.

“We are always at risk of deportation. If deported to Afghanistan as Christians, we must be dead,” he says.

He remembers one night when police came while he and a group of believers were gathered.

“All we could think about was escaping,” he says. The fear was intense. But then, he says, “[God] opened a door for us to escape, through the wall.”

They escaped in the dark through the pouring rain.

“It was really a good experience of the miracle,” Hamid says, “God is with us.”

The Threat of Deportation

Deportation raids have created a daily fear among Afghans. Hamid says police may come to homes, take one family member and then force them to call the rest of the family. Sometimes, money can buy temporary release, but never safety.

“By paying them you will be freed,” he explains, “not forever but for a particular time.” For many families, the amounts demanded are impossible to pay. “They don’t care about your family, they only care about the money.”

Against this backdrop, Hamid supports Afghan refugees. He believes young Afghans are the key to change. Many young people carry deep pressure: lack of education, unemployment, responsibility to provide, and fear for the future.

“Many of the young people take drugs just to forget about all the tensions and the problems in their lives. But drugs, just add to their problems, they do not bring salvation,” Hamid says.

Longing for a Place to Call Home

What Hamid longs for most is stability. He would like the chance to build a family, but he lives without permanent security.

“We cannot go back to Afghanistan but we cannot stay here,” he says. “We just need a place to call home and to live a normal life. To be able to pray there and glorify God more easily.”

Hamid’s hope is to build a family of faith for others who are displaced, afraid and searching in a country he is not able to call home.

Support from Open Doors partners has made a practical difference including providing food and clothes, education, Bible study, and safe shelter.