Korean Hostage Deal Puts Christian Aid Workers at Risk - Release International
There are growing fears for the safety of Christian aid workers in Afghanistan following concessions made to the Taliban to free the remaining South Korean hostages.
Posted: Tuesday, September 4, 2007, 8:11 (BST)
There are growing fears for the safety of Christian aid workers in Afghanistan following concessions made to the Taliban to free the remaining South Korean hostages last week.
Extremists pulled 23 Christian volunteer aid workers from a bus in July and later killed two of them - including their leader, Pastor Bae Hyung-kyu.
Two female hostages were freed earlier in July while the remaining hostages returned home last Sunday after negotiations between South Korea and their Taliban kidnappers.
In concessions to the Taliban, South Korea said it will ban missionaries from travelling to Afghanistan. It also confirmed the pull-out of 200 troops from the region and, according to the BBC, paid a multi-million dollar ransom for the hostages' release. South Korea, however, denies paying a ransom.
But Christian persecution watchdog Release International warns that the deal struck to free them could turn Christians from other nations into targets.
Bearing a chilling resonance for other Christian workers in Afghanistan, a Taliban note to journalists said they targeted the South Korean aid workers because "they came to our nation to change our faith... this is the reason we arrested them."
Release International's CEO, Andy Dipper, who has worked in Afghanistan for a Christian relief organisation, warned, "The deal that's been struck could lead to further kidnappings of Christian aid workers in Afghanistan."
According to the Associated Press, a Taliban spokesman claimed the deal was a "great victory for our holy warriors", and has vowed to abduct more foreigners, "because we found this way to be successful".
"There are massive ramifications in these concessions made towards the Taliban captors," says Dipper. "This deal could encourage militants to target other foreign Christians to put pressure on their governments to pull out troops and restrict the Christian presence in Afghanistan."
He added: "We praise God for the release of these hostages - but at what price for the Christian workers who remain?"
In 2003, the new constitution of Afghanistan guaranteed freedom of religion, "yet we have been seeing an erosion of the fundamental freedom of every Afghan to choose his or her own faith," says Dipper.
He continued: "The government of Afghanistan has a huge challenge. The Taliban are holding their nation hostage from within. The extremists must be overcome, to give the Afghan people the hope of peace and a future without war and discrimination."
Through its international network of missions, Release International serves persecuted Christians in 30 countries, supporting pastors and Christian prisoners and their families, supplying Christian literature and Bibles, and working for justice.
The charity is a member of the UK organisations Global Connections, the Evangelical Alliance and the Micah Network. For more information please visit: www.releaseinternational.org
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The comments below are readers' personal opinions and are in no way intended to reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today.
Added: Wednesday, September 5, 2007, 15:21 (BST)
Good day
May we as Christians be patient with the South Korean govt. They place a premium on their citizens which is a note- worthy virtue. It's hard to stand by and watch your own die as it were needlessly. Besides, their reactions reveal that they are not quite conversant or knowledgeable about being Christians. When we respond to the Holy Spirit's conviction to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, a fellow believer once observed He bids us die. And for some of us the experience may be literal.
As for the 19, please they should not be ashamed or put to shame. Of a truth they did a noble thing. In most parts of the world where young people have reasonable lives, they are often self absorbed. Let's not forget, Jesus Himself said we will always have the poor with us. Sometimes the poor are next door neighbours, within our national boundaries or faraway across many borders. And the plaintive cry of the poor will always be '' Help!''
Consider the victim of the robbers who the Good Samaritan helped. At that material time even if he were the staunchest of Jews, in his hour of need it didn't matter what nationality his rescuer was. The important thing is that he was receiving badly needed help before his life force was expended. I'm pretty sure this must be the feeling of the poor Afghan citizens who were the objects of love for 23 noble and brave South Koreans.
To all who still believe in prayer in the name of Jesus and its power, let's pray for the 19, their home church and their respective families. May they remain strong in faith. May they heal from the wounds to their souls and bodies. May the bereaved (and as a body are not all bereaved?) receive divine succour from the Holy Spirit. May they be consoled knowing that precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of these 2 saints.
I do not wish to be arrogant. But I have prayed. Watch strong churches spring up in the places where the kidnap, imprisonment and murder took place. The blood of our 2 brethren have not been shed in vain. Watch churches emerge filled with vibrant yet compassionate believers who can withstand the fury of persecution. As for the 19, let's cover them with prayer and love.
Tee Jay, Abj, Nigeria
Added: Tuesday, September 4, 2007, 8:31 (BST)
This incident of Korean hostages can easily be seen in the light of good versus evil. Even if you are not a Christian, many believe in this battle between good and evil, and thus can identify with this explanation. It will be hard to comment now if the giving in of the Korean government for the sake of their release, is a sign that the might of Christ has failed.
Many Christians do not like to talk about "failings of Christians" when they give in to circumstances rather than to focus on their earlier convictions to go into Afghanistan. One may further say that the memories of both the slain Christian men would be insulted by this stand taken by their government to save them in exchange for future non- involvement in Afghanistan. They will both be called martyrs for Christ, but what will we identify the 19 who came back with their "tails between their legs", and deeply criticised by the nation too at that.
No, there will be no shame, only recognition that a hitch had happened in the battle for the spiritual health of Afghanistan, and unfortunately these 19 are casualties of that battle. They must hold their head high for they had courage. They must believe that they went with conviction, but their plan had partially been thwarted by the evil one. Their faith should be strengthened, not diminished.
As usual, many Koreans would be asking themselves if this group were wise in going into Afghanistan. But EVERYONE is always clever in retrospect. We like to criticise based on what had happened, just like the war in Iraq now. Instead Christians must think in possible parallels of WHAT IF. What if no one had been martyred? What if they did not even make it to this trip due to fear ? What if...? The plan of God would not be fulfilled by them, but may be by some other group in Korea. And we would not have known of this incident at all. This deters the survivors of pride too, because God could have moved some other group for this trip into Afghanistan.
Andrew Sees, London
