Ariana* from Afghanistan did not know that any religion other than Islam existed, until the man she was married off to turned out to be a secret Christian. Ariana also accepted Jesus as her Saviour. Despite death threats and having to flee her country, she now encourages her fellow countrymen with the hope found in God’s Word. “I cannot do this on my own. It is God’s presence that brings peace.”
Growing up in Afghan culture, Ariana had always been taught to keep a low profile and be quiet. She was expected to obey the men in her family. “They were like dictators. Even as a girl, I learnt that we women had no freedom. However, I was hopeful, because I had the idea that one day I would leave my village. I imagined myself as an eagle that could fly away. I’ve always had that sense of freedom and enthusiasm.”
I didn’t even know there was any religion other than Islam. In my family, anything that wasn’t Islamic was labelled ‘pagan”
In films, Ariana saw how women could live freely, dancing and singing and falling in love. It was a kind of freedom that she could only dream of. However, falling in love became a reality when she set her sights on a boy from her village. But their feelings for each other had to remain hidden. In Afghanistan, most women have no say in matters of love; families decide who their daughters marry.
Ariana immediately realised just how hard life can be for women in Afghanistan when her aunt intercepted a love letter. “My brother came at me with a large knife. He threatened to kill me because the whole community had found out,” she explains. In an attempt to quell the scandal, she was married off immediately afterwards. The family hoped that this would limit the consequences of her ‘misdeed’. Little did they know that, by doing so, they were setting her on the path to Jesus Christ. Nobody knew that Ariana’s husband’s family were secretly Christian.
Grenade
Ariana had a vague feeling that there was something different about her in-laws, especially after their house was attacked and her brother-in-law was murdered. Initially, she thought it was related to his work for the Afghan government. However, it was only later that she discovered that his death had a completely different cause. “He was murdered because he was a Christian. In the middle of the night, a grenade was thrown into the house,” Ariana relates. “His death and other severe setbacks put us under immense pressure. My father-in-law wanted to leave the country.”
And so Ariana, her husband, and her in-laws became refugees in a foreign country in Central Asia. It was only there that Ariana learnt the real reason for their flight. “When I got married, I had no idea they were Christians. I’d never heard of Christianity; I didn’t even know there was any religion other than Islam. In my family, anything that wasn’t Islamic was labelled ‘pagan’,” she recalls.
Secret believers
Her in-laws told her that they had come to faith through a Russian missionary and were living as secret believers in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, anyone who leaves Islam to become a Christian risks their life. Women are already considered inferior; as a Christian woman, you cannot expect any respect at all.
When she fled to another country with her husband and in-laws, Ariana began going to church with them. This changed her completely. “In the Islam, I knew nothing but fear,” she says. “God was portrayed as terrifying. I began to understand how oppressive Islam is, and how it treats Afghan women like slaves. I realised that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.”
Threats
Although Ariana and her family are now living in a country where the pressure is less than in Afghanistan, the freedom they enjoy is only relative. The country they are staying in is also hostile towards Christians. Furthermore, Ariana is an asylum seeker and does not have a residence permit. “Our greatest fear is being sent back,” she says. This is especially true now that news has reached her family in Afghanistan that she has left the Islam.
“My brother rang me one day,” says Ariana. “He said, ‘I’ve heard you’ve become a Christian. If you’re being pressured, I’ll come and rescue you. But if you’ve actually betrayed your religion, I’ll come and kill you. I’ll end up in prison for life, but at least I’ll have removed the stain of this disgrace.’”
“But I cannot do this in my own strength.”
In these stressful circumstances, Ariana’s faith in God is her anchor. ‘Romans 8:35–39 tells us that God’s children will face suffering and persecution. But these verses also offer hope because they remind us that God is always with us. It is this that encourages me and gives me strength in the hardships we are currently enduring.”
Encouragement
Ariana is so full of faith that, where she is now living, she carries out the Great Commission from Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations”. “I want others to experience what I have learnt about God. I want the people around me to drink the Living Water,” she says. “All the women I meet say the same thing. They thank me and say, ‘When you come, we experience peace’. But I cannot do this in my own strength; I am a nobody. It is God’s presence that brings inner peace in these difficult circumstances. I believe that God gives us to each other. It’s not only these women who experience peace — I do too.”
Afghanistan ranks 11th on the World Watch List.
Please pray with us
- Thank God that Ariana came to know Him and shares her faith, despite her difficult circumstances.
- Thank God that, despite their vulnerable situation, other refugees learn through Ariana that peace can be found in God.
- Pray that God will protect Ariana and her in-laws, and provide for their needs. Pray that they will not be sent back to Afghanistan.
(* Alias)
