An open letter to Mullah Mohammad Omar and Abdul Hai Mutmaen

The following open letter to the Taliban leaders was written and posted online in January 2001. It is a response to the threats made by Taliban leaders as reported in newspapers and worldwide media. (For example, see Afghan Taliban demand death.) Beginning in 1999 and  through September 2001, the intensity of death threats increased.

Dear Mullah Omar and Mr. Mutmaen,

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ.

I am writing in response to a news report I have received regarding your warning that any Afghan converting to Christianity or promoting other religions would be executed. Let me say first of all that I do not speak for Afghan Christians directly. Any of my brothers and sisters in Christ who want to communicate with you can do that on their own.

The news report says 

"Abdul Hai Mutmaen, a top Taliban spokesman, said the decree was issued after reports some foreigners inside Afghanistan and abroad were actively seeking converts. He said they might belong to foreign aid groups.

"This is for sure that there are foreign individuals in some parts of the country and outside who do this secretly," Mutmaen told Reuters."

I wish to inform you that the Center of Peace and Hope in Christ for Afghanistan is not a secret. You can visit our web site at: www.AfghanBibles.com.  The center has been open for over a year and a half. We have displayed signs openly outside our office in the English and Dari languages. We are indeed proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Afghanistan by distributing videos of the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and copies of the New Testament (injil) in the Pashto and Dari languages. We hope to add Hazaragi to our list soon.

If anyone would like a copy of the Jesus video or New Testament, please contact us at the web site and fill out the order form.

Also, we are not converting anyone. We simply preach the message. God himself changes peoples hearts. If anyone wants to become a follower of Jesus Christ, even at the risk of their own life, that is their decision. We have nothing to offer other than the message of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, period.

In the future, please refrain from saying that foreign individuals are engaged in preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in secret, as this is not true in our situation.

Sincerely and with respect,

John M. Marion, Jr.
Fairfax County, Virginia
www.AfghanBibles.com

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16)

Afghan Bibles Archives
January 2001 Letter to Mullah Mohammad Omar and Abdul Hai Mutmaen
11 September 2001 Afghan Bibles 9/11 Home Page
17 September 2001 Challenge to Moderate Muslims
22 March 2006 Statement regarding the case of Mr. Abdul Rahman