Baptist Church Races to Save Afghan Christian Woman From Taliban Death Sentence

Memphis Baptist Church Fights to Save Afghan Christian Woman From Deportation and Certain Death

A 21 year old Afghan Christian asylum seeker named Sakina faces deportation back to Afghanistan, where the Taliban has branded her entire family as apostates and sentenced them to death. Second Baptist Church of Memphis, Tennessee is now leading the fight to save her life.

Sakina arrived in the United States in August 2025 with her family and was detained at the El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas. While her parents and four siblings were released under the Flores Settlement Agreement, Sakina remains behind bars. A judge issued a removal order on December 9, 2025, and ICE officials are pressuring her to sign deportation papers even as her attorney has filed an appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals.

The family belongs to the Hazara ethnic minority, one of the most persecuted groups in Afghanistan. Sakina's older brother Jalil converted to Christianity while still in Afghanistan and was arrested and tortured by the Taliban after they discovered a Bible app on his phone. The entire family was subsequently labeled apostate, making return to Afghanistan a death sentence.

Second Baptist became involved through its "longstanding partnership with the Christ Community Afghan Church in Memphis, as well as Refugee Memphis, a faith based humanitarian organization in our community that works to befriend, serve, and share Christ with the newly arrived in the United States."

Senior Pastor Stephen H. Cook has been leading advocacy efforts alongside U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D Tennessee), who criticized ICE operations and called for Sakina's release. Multiple Christian leaders, including representatives from World Relief and the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, have urged protections for Afghan Christians.

The Department of Homeland Security responded by stating that "a judge found her claims not to be valid" and that "she received full due process." Open Doors lists Afghanistan as the 11th worst country for Christian persecution worldwide.

Afghan Christian Asylum Seeker Detained by ICE While Church and Lawmakers Plead for Her Release

Pastors involved in the case are asking for any removal to be paused until Sakina's appeal is resolved. Her legal representation recently changed, with the new attorney unable to attend an in person meeting, further complicating her case while she remains detained.

Faith leaders across Memphis have rallied together in support of Afghan refugees in the city, with Christ Community Afghan Church and Refugee Memphis working closely with Second Baptist to provide spiritual and practical support to displaced believers.

The Crusader's Opinion

Let me be absolutely clear: sending a Christian woman back to the Taliban is not deportation. It is a death sentence. Afghanistan executes apostates. There is no grey area here. Sakina's brother was tortured for having a Bible app on his phone. The Taliban has already declared this family guilty of the "crime" of following Jesus Christ.

Our government has full due process for illegal border crossers, but apparently not enough process to keep a young Christian woman from being handed over to her executioners. Where is the outcry from the same voices that champion religious freedom abroad? If a Muslim convert to Christianity cannot find safety in the United States of America, then we have lost our way entirely. This is not about immigration policy. This is about whether we will stand by and watch a sister in Christ be fed to wolves.

Take Action

• Contact U.S. Representative Steve Cohen's office at (901) 544 4131 and urge continued advocacy for Sakina's case and Afghan Christian asylum seekers.
• Support Refugee Memphis, the faith based humanitarian organization working directly with Afghan refugees in Memphis.
• Donate to The Shepherd's Shield (www.TheShepherdsShield.org) to support persecuted Christians worldwide.
• Give to Open Doors USA, which monitors and responds to Christian persecution in Afghanistan and 76 other countries.
• Pray specifically for Sakina's appeal hearing and for the judges to grant her protection from deportation.
• Share this story on social media and with your church community to raise awareness about the plight of Afghan Christians facing deportation.