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Where would Mideast Christians be without US?

The State Department reports that there are no Christian churches left in Afghanistan: This reflects the state of religious freedom in that country ten years after the United States first invaded it and overthrew its Islamist Taliban regime. In the intervening decade, U.S. taxpayers have spent $440 billion to support Afghanistan’s new government and more than 1,700 U.S. military personnel have died […]

The State Department reports that there are no Christian churches left in Afghanistan:

This reflects the state of religious freedom in that country ten years after the United States first invaded it and overthrew its Islamist Taliban regime.

In the intervening decade, U.S. taxpayers have spent $440 billion to support Afghanistan’s new government and more than 1,700 U.S. military personnel have died serving in that country.

The last public Christian church in Afghanistan was razed in March 2010, according to the State Department’s latest International Religious Freedom Report. The report, which was released last month and covers the period of July 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010, also states that “there were no Christian schools in the country.”

“There is no longer a public Christian church; the courts have not upheld the church’s claim to its 99-year lease, and the landowner destroyed the building in March [2010],” reads the State Department report on religious freedom. “[Private] chapels and churches for the international community of various faiths are located on several military bases, PRTs [Provincial Reconstruction Teams], and at the Italian embassy. Some citizens who converted to Christianity as refugees have returned.”

In recent times, freedom of religion has declined in Afghanistan, according to the State Department.

“The government’s level of respect for religious freedom in law and in practice declined during the reporting period, particularly for Christian groups and individuals,” reads the State Department report.

To be sure, there never were many Christians in Afghanistan. That’s not the point here. The point is that the American taxpayers have spent billions of dollars and hundreds of lives to prevent an Islamist tyranny from taking over the country — but any Christians that may still be in that country, which has been such a beneficiary of aid from a mostly Christian people, now must live underground, if they are permitted to live at all.

Beautiful. Just beautiful. It is probably impossible to prevent this religious tyranny in Afghanistan, but we damn sure don’t have to pay for it. And hey, Iraqi Christians, how are you doing since the American invasion? Under jihadist attack, between one-half and two-thirds have fled the country where their ancestors lived as Christians before the coming of Islam. Where would these Christians be without America? Most likely back at home.

 

 

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