On Faith and Community

Feb 19, 2023

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The Christian life is not only about being in communion and fellowship with God, but also with others. Some Sunday thoughts.

Timestamps, Links, & Resources

0:00- The importance of community

5:10- Jesus is the Good Shepherd

Bible study on Jesus as the Good Shepherd

7:37- The importance of Christian fellowship

12:43- Update on Afghan Christians in Pakistan

22:44- Blocks to Afghan immigration

September 5, 2021: State Dept blocking private rescue flights from leaving Afghanistan, organizers say: ‘Blood is on their hands’
Americans involved in private evacuation efforts tell Fox News the State Department is only reason their planes haven’t left Afghanistan
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-department-blocking-private-evacuation-flights-afghanistan

September 5, 2021: U.S. lawmaker urges Blinken to clear private evacuation flights out of Afghanistan
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-lawmaker-urges-blinken-clear-private-evacuation-flights-out-afghanistan-2021-09-05/

September 7, 2021: Charter Flights Are Trying To Leave Afghanistan, Blinken In Qatar For Crisis Talks
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/07/1034719265/charter-flights-are-trying-to-leave-afghanistan-blinken-in-qatar-for-crisis-talk

UNHCR Pakistan selling refugee certifications

.@UNHCRPakistan corruption alert ⚠️: @Refugees employees in Pakistan are selling "UN cards" to Refugees from Afghanistan for 200-300 US$.
Here's how they do it:
1. Afghans who are escaping Taliban persecution in Afghanistan seek refuge in Pakistan.
2. To be able to live in…

— Ejaz Saheba Malikzada (@EjazMalikzada) April 28, 2022

..Pakistan without a visa, they should have a UNHCR refugee card.
3. To get the UNHCR card, they have to register through SHARP, a UNHCR-contracted consultancy organization. One should call SHARP a 1000 times for weeks to register themselves for getting an appointment to register

— Ejaz Saheba Malikzada (@EjazMalikzada) April 28, 2022

themselves for an appointment with UNHCR. This is not a keyboard typo. You call to register yourself to register for an appointment for another registration with @Refugees. In between this process, your visa expires & you get bullied by Pakistani police. Your phone number expires

— Ejaz Saheba Malikzada (@EjazMalikzada) April 28, 2022

& you can't rent a property. Every Pakistani out there abuses your status. They extort money from Afghans. While you wait for a SHARP phone call, you actually don't have a sim card. Property rent for Afghans has skyrocketed in Pakisfan upto 250% — from 30K to 65K PKR per month. pic.twitter.com/o2yx5S9vI2

— Ejaz Saheba Malikzada (@EjazMalikzada) April 28, 2022

Once you come to SHARP, you have to wait in a long queue in a long day to get registered.These Pakistanis at SHARP don't behave w/refugees w/dignity.
SHARP tells you that you have to wait months to get a "UN interview". So far no1 I know has gotten a "UN interview" in 6-8 months.

— Ejaz Saheba Malikzada (@EjazMalikzada) April 28, 2022

4. But there are some people within @UNHCRPakistan who sell "UN cards" for 200-300 US$. The card has only 1 benefit. It enables you to stay in Pakistan without a visa. That's it.

— Ejaz Saheba Malikzada (@EjazMalikzada) April 28, 2022

5. To get a UN referral to one of the embassies in Pakistan for an asylum/relocation case, you have to pay 1000s of US$. Yes. @UNHCRPakistan sells referrals to embassies.

— Ejaz Saheba Malikzada (@EjazMalikzada) April 28, 2022

This picture was sent by a @UNHCRPakistan employee or someone who works with them as a middleman selling "UN cards". @OCCRP @BBCYaldaHakim @amnesty @hrw @corruption @DeborahLyonsUN @anticorruption @UNDP_Pakistan @UNAMAnews @unafghanistan @lynnekodonnell @CanHCPakistan pic.twitter.com/PYFnKM3BQC

— Ejaz Saheba Malikzada (@EjazMalikzada) April 28, 2022

To add more troubles Islamabad police @ICT_Police picks up Afghanistan #Refugees randomly from streets & asks them to show visas. If you don't have a visa or have an E-visa, they threaten to take you to "Taana" (jail) or pay bribes (1000-5000 PKR). @UNHCRPakistan @DeborahLyonsUN

— Ejaz Saheba Malikzada (@EjazMalikzada) April 29, 2022

The Afghanistan Project Podcast with Leslie Merriman

January 27, 2023: Exclusive | Afghan women fear for life as Taliban ban male doctors from treating them
https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/exclusive-afghan-women-fear-for-life-as-taliban-ban-male-doctors-from-treating-them-551218

January 11, 2023: Taliban Government Places More Restrictions On Afghan Women, Bans Male Doctors From Treating Them
https://saharareporters.com/2023/01/11/taliban-government-places-more-restrictions-afghan-women-bans-male-doctors-treating-them

Janury 28, 2023: Afghan malnutrition rates at record high, U.N. food agency says
“There are 7 million children (under the age of 5) and mothers who are malnourished, in a country with a population of 40 million,” said a spokesman for the World Food Program.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/afghanistan-malnutrition-rates-record-high-united-nations-food-agency-rcna67701

2022 Trafficking in Persons Report: Afghanistan
https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-trafficking-in-persons-report/afghanistan/

Combating Trafficking in Persons in Afghanistan
https://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/Legal_Responses_to_Trafficking_in_Persons_Manual_for_Parliamentarians_of_Afghanistan.pdf

Forgotten No More: Male Child Trafficking In Afghanistan