Reuters foundnorecent reports of 22 or 229 Christian missionaries being sentenced to death or executed in Afghanistan by media or human rights organizations.
Were 22 Christian missionaries sentenced to death in Afghanistan?
An image shared on Facebook more than 300 times claims 22 Christian missionaries were sentenced to death in Afghanistan. “Your prayers please,” reads the caption. The Daily Caller didn’t find any recent media reports of Christian missionaries being sentenced to death or executed in Afghanistan.
Are the lives of Christians in Afghanistan at risk?
The lives of Christians in Afghanistan are always at risk, and they do need our prayers, but it is important for us to know what is real and what is not.
Were Christian missionaries sentenced to death after Taliban takeover of Qaraqosh?
The message claims the missionaries were sentenced to death after the radical Islamic group took over Qaraqosh, a city where there are hundreds of Christian men, women and children who are being beheaded. Fact check: Image altered to show CNN report saying Taliban takeover was ‘violent but mostly peaceful’
Does photo show Islamic State executing a Christian missionary in Afghanistan?
One widely-shared version includes an image purportedly showing the execution of a Christian missionary in Afghanistan. However, Agence France-Presse (AFP) determined that the photo likely depicts a member of the Islamic State executing a man accused of spying in Iraq.
How many church workers were killed in 2007?
On 19 July 2007, 23 church workers from South Korea were taken hostage by the Taliban. Two of their number were executed (shot to death and abandoned by the roadside), with the remaining 21 eventually released after the South Korean government reportedly paid $20 million for their freedom.
When did the appeal for prayers for the 22 Christian missionaries in Afghanistan come out?
Appeals for prayers on behalf of 22 Christian missionary families about to be executed in Afghanistan have circulated periodically since early 2009, originally both as an e-mail forward and as a text message sent to cell phones:
Did the Koreans travel through Afghanistan?
The Koreans had apparently been incautious, traveling unescorted by bus through an area of Afghanistan frequently singled out by the Taliban and highway robbers.
How many Christian missionaries were executed in Afghanistan?
The Daily Caller didn’t find any recent media reports of 22 Christian missionaries being sentenced to death or executed in Afghanistan, only other fact-checkers debunking the claim as a hoax. According to Snopes, the hoax has been circulating since at least 2009, spreading via text message, email and social media.
How many times has the Facebook post been shared?
It has been shared more than 300 times. (RELATED: Do The Taliban Control Nearly 45 Percent Of Afghanistan?)
What percentage of Afghanistan’s population is Christian?
The State Department estimates that Christian and other non-Islamic religious groups make up less than one percent of Afghanistan’s population. The country’s constitution, which establishes Islam as the state religion, grants minority religious groups freedom to exercise their faiths “within the limits of the law,” but makes proselytizing and apostasy punishable by death, according to the State Department.
Did the Daily Caller find any recent media reports of Christian missionaries being sentenced to death or executed in Afghanistan?
The Daily Caller didn’t find any recent media reports of Christian missionaries being sentenced to death or executed in Afghanistan. The claim has been routinely debunked over the years as a hoax.
Who killed the medical aid workers?
In 2010, the Taliban claimed responsibility for killing 10 medical aid workers from the International Assistance Mission, claiming the individuals were Christian missionaries and spies, according to The New York Times. In 2014, the Taliban killed a South African family in Kabul for allegedly operating a secret Christian missionary group, though friends of the family told reporters said they were not proselytizing, according to The Guardian.
What do executioners wear?
Other IS propaganda material has also featured executioners wearing a long, loose black shirt, black trousers and a head covering. They have also, like in the video screenshot seen above, used a sword for the execution.
How many South Korean missionaries were kidnapped in Afghanistan?
As reported by AFP, 23 South Korean missionaries were kidnapped in Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2007. The captors killed two of the hostages, Presbyterian pastor Bae Hyung-Kyu and medical-services volunteer Shim Sung-Min, in the initial weeks of the standoff. The rest were released.
What did Haidary say about the blindfolded man?
As for the photo used in one of the widely-shared posts carrying the claim — showing a blindfolded man about to be executed — Haidary said that the clothing of another man, seen in white in the background, did not look Afghan.
What do ISIS fighters wear?
ISIS (Islamic State) fighters in Afghanistan are outfitted differently — they mostly wear shalwar kamiz, ” Haidary said, referring to traditional garments worn by men in some parts of South Asia. “It looks like an old picture from somewhere in the Middle East," he concluded. Haidary was right about that.
How long has the snooper hoax been around?
This hoax has been in circulation since 2009 and, as reported by fact-checking site Snopes, it has also spread via emails and text messages. We’ve archived a couple more recent examples on Facebook here and here.
What is the punishment for apostasy in the Taliban?
Haidary told us that “in Taliban-controlled areas, the punishment for apostasy is death. But in government-controlled areas, the courts may show some leniency.”.
Where is Nineveh located?
Nineveh is a province in northern Iraq. 2. The photo bears the hallmarks of IS propaganda. The yellow logo, seen partially in the bottom right-hand corner of the photo, has appeared in other IS propaganda. “Nineveh State” is also a term used by the IS group — the Iraqi government does not refer to it as a state.
When did the Taliban last come to power?
When the Taliban last came to power in the mid-1990s, Supreme Leader Mullah Omar ordered churches razed and Christians killed or imprisoned. After the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a slew of killings targeting Christians and missionaries.
When was the chain message shared on Facebook?
The chain message shared in the Facebook post is a persistent online rumor dating back to at least 2009.
Is there a Christian minority in Afghanistan?
There is a small Christian minority in Afghanistan that practices its faith in secret, according to an April report from Norway’s Country of Origin Information Centre. Converting others to Christianity was illegal prior to the Taliban’s takeover.
Is there evidence to support the primary claim in the chain message?
There is no evidence to support the primary claim in the chain message.
Did the poster offer specific evidence in response to a USA Today query?
The poster offered no specific evidence in response to a USA TODAY query.
Is there evidence to support the claim in the Facebook post?
However, there is no evidence to support the claim in the Facebook post.
Why was the Facebook post flagged?
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook .)
When did the Taliban take control of Afghanistan?
This post comes as the Taliban takes control of Afghanistan following the final stages of U.S. troop withdrawal. The Taliban previously controlled Afghanistan from 1996 until the U.S. invaded the country following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
When did Qaraqosh get out of the Islamic State?
The Islamic State was ousted from Qaraqosh in 2016, and since then, about half the city’s population has returned and started to rebuild.
When did Christians flee Qaraqosh?
In 2014 Christians fled Qaraqosh, known as Iraq’s Christian capital, after the Islamic State, the militant group known as ISIS, began to take over the city. At the time, Pope Francis called on the international community to address the crisis, according to the BBC.
Who said "How about I just f—- shoot the both of you"?
A news report quoted Alec Baldwin saying, “How about I just f—– shoot the both of ya?”