September 4, 2007
Evangelical Expert: Withdrawal Would be a Tragedy for Afghans
KABUL -- It would be a tragedy for the Afghan people if Christian aid agencies were to pull out of Afghanistan in the wake of recent abductions.
A withdrawal would not only be tragic for the hundreds of Afghan workers and families employed by Christian organizations, but - more importantly - for the thousands of citizens who profit from the projects in the fields of education, health and economy.
Albrecht Hauser, chairman of the Islam committee of the German Evangelical Alliance, expressed this view in an interview with the evangelical news agency “idea”. Hauser himself was active in development projects in Afghanistan about 30 years ago.
Despite the risk of further abductions and the deal struck by South Korean negotiators with the radical Islamic Taliban for the release of 19 hostages Hauser is confident that most Christian agencies will remain.
They had been working in Afghanistan even under Taliban rule, he said. But Hauser is concerned that the concessions made by Korean negotiators – to withdraw soldiers and Christian missionaries by the end of the year – could encourage Muslim extremists in other places. Textbooks for abductions were already published on the Internet.
Hauser expressed joy and relief about the release of the last Korean hostages, August 30. 23 members of a Presbyterian church in Bandung were abducted, July 19, on their way to social institutions in the Afghan province of Ghazni, where they wanted to assist in relief projects.
The Taliban first killed two men and released two women. After negotiations with South Korean officials the other hostages were set free in small groups. The Afghan government did not meet the demand for the release of Taliban prisoners.
South Korea has been criticized for negotiating with terrorists and upgrading the political influence of the Taliban. Concern has also been expressed that the deal may encourage further abductions of Christians.
The Christian relief and development agency Ora International does not intend to pull out of Afghanistan. Their administrative manager in Kabul, Christina Meier, was recently abducted. She was liberated 36 hours later and has since returned to her native Germany.
In an interview with “idea television” Ora’s spokesman Ulf Baumann said his organization had no intention of withdrawing from Afghanistan so far. Security for the 20 international workers and their families had been tightened, though.
Baumann emphasized the entirely humanitarian nature of Ora’s projects in Afghanistan. These include two clinics, HIV/Aids education programs and micro-economic projects for women.
© 2007 ASSIST News Service, used with permission
