Source: www.MNNonline.org
Date: November 2, 2021
Afghanistan (MNN) — In recent months, the radical Sunni Muslim group ISIS-K has assaulted Christians and bombed Shia mosques in Afghanistan.
Nehemiah with FMI says a very specific goal motivates ISIS-K: the creation of an Islamic utopia. “They want to govern with Islamic Sharia law. And they want to make one country out of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh, and all these countries. They want to make one continent and that is Khorasan.”
For now, the group works to attack Shia Muslims and other religious groups in Afghanistan and all across the Middle East and Asia.
Traditionally, The Taliban joined ISIS-K in targeting Shia Muslims and other religious groups for violence. They share a radical Sunni Muslim background. But since taking power in Afghanistan, the Taliban has tried to project a more moderate image to international audiences.
Taliban vs ISIS-K
In fact, ISIS-K has begun targeting the Taliban as well. Nehemiah says, “They think the Taliban has become ‘liberal’ now. There are huge, huge numbers of Taliban fighters who have become members of ISIS-K. They are fighting against the Taliban, even though they were with the Taliban before. ISIS has become very strong now.”
A few Afghan Christian convoys crossed the border Into Pakistan after the Taliban takeover. Now, the border has been closed.
Ask God to protect these believers. Nehemiah says, “Please pray for the situation, especially for partners or of FMI who were on the ground, who are in this situation. Please pray that God would give them wisdom and encouragement.”
The header photo shows a mosque in Malaysia. (Photo courtesy of Lerdsuwa, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons)