Stories from our field
Iranian Facebook page largely attracts visitors from Afghanistan
Ali manages the GlobalRize Farsi Facebook page, the language that is mainly spoken in Iran. But Facebook has been shut down in Iran. There are many Afghans who come to the page, many of whom are Muslim.
Afghans speak Dari which is related to Farsi. “For certain, 60% of the people who react on the page come from Afghanistan. There are all sorts of responses that come in. Some ask for more information about the Gospel. Or they say that they follow Jesus, but it is impossible to stay in Afghanistan.”
Face to face
Quite a few ask me if it is possible to meet face to face. It is a shame, but that is impossible. It is too dangerous right now to arrange such meetings. Through our network, we can ensure that Bibles are sent to them.”
Muslims
““There are also many Muslims who respond. There is a man with a long beard from Kabul who has reacted to our posts for quite a long time. At first, he was fiercely against the message of the Gospel, but I see that lately he has softened in his approach. Maybe he understands better now what the Gospel is about.”
Fewer nasty words
“When the Taliban had just taken power, the number of responses noticeably dropped. Also, many of the responses are more measured now. I have fewer reactions with inflammatory language than before. Also, there are more women. There is not much that they are allowed under the Taliban and it seems that they are looking for freedom online.”
Not safe
““I like it most when people want to know more about Jesus. That is so encouraging. The most heartbreaking thing is reading that followers of Jesus are not safe. They ask for help to leave the country, but I am not able to help them do that. The only thing I can do is send them information about where they can look for help.”
