A Christian Member of Parliament has called on the U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson to evacuate all British missionaries from Afghanistan after the Taliban regained complete control over the country.
As reported by Premier Christian News, Ian Paisley Jr, the Democratic Unionist Party MP, brought the matter to Johnson's attention on Wednesday during the Prime Minister's address on Afghanistan.
"He [Boris Johnson] will be aware that there are 228 missionaries in Afghanistan currently under sentence of death," Paisley Jr. noted. "Those missionaries need to be taken out of Afghanistan. Of course, there are tens of thousands of others who are under sentence of death and fear for their life."
The Christian MP went on to ask if the Prime Minister will "assure the house that every effort will be made to bring back to safe haven, people whose lives are under threat as a result of the catastrophe and foreign policy episode that has gone on in that country."
In response, Johnson thanked Paisley Jr. for bringing up the "very needy case" and assured him that the House of Parliament is doing everything they can to return people to safety.
"I'm sure that colleagues across the house – literally every member would I imagine – has received messages from people who know someone who needs to get out of Afghanistan, and I can tell the Right Honourable Gentleman that we are doing everything we can to help [get] out of that country, those people to whom we owe a debt of obligation," Johnson replied.
The Prime Minister added that the House has already "secured the safe return of 306 UK nationals and 2,052 Afghan nationals as part of our resettlement program, with a further 2,000 Afghan applications completed and many more being processed."
According to Axios, Johnson spoke with President Joe Biden on Tuesday, making him the first world leader Biden has spoken to since the Taliban seized complete control of Kabul, Afghanistan's capital city.
The leaders discussed the "need for continued close coordination among allies and democratic partners on Afghanistan policy going forward, including ways the global community can provide further humanitarian assistance and support for refugees and other vulnerable Afghans," a statement from the White House divulged. The White House added that a virtual G7 leaders' meeting will be held next week to discuss a "common strategy and approach" on the developing situation in Afghanistan.
According to persecution watchdog Open Doors USA, Afghanistan is ranked number 2 on its list of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
Leaving Islam – Afghanistan's main religion – is considered "shameful" and could result in death.
Related:
U.S. Has Moral Obligation to Protect and Resettle Afghan Allies, Evangelical Leaders Say
Christian Family in Afghanistan Appeals to Pope to Help Them Flee Persecution
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Charles McQuillan/Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
