Watch: In the shadow of affliction: Fleeing Afghanistan and finding refuge

Vangai, a devout Muslim woman, is the victim of an acid attack at the hands of her own husband. While healing from the attack, Vangai finds Jesus and becomes Christian. With the Taliban rising to power and her husband's imminent release from prison, Vangai must flee her home country of Afghanistan. Watch how her newfound faith in Christ transforms her life.

Who is Vangai?

Vangai was born and brought up in a strict Muslim family in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her family didn’t have much money, and when she was only 9 years old, her father married her off to a much older man so the family could move to Iran for a better life.

What was Vangai’s husband like?

Vangai’s husband, her father’s older cousin, was abusive, a drug addict and an alcoholic. Vangai fell pregnant with her first daughter when she was 12. After the birth of her daughter, the family moved back to Afghanistan, where she gave birth to 3 more boys. Vangai suffered brutal abuse at the hands of her husband: he was very strict, and would beat her with wooden sticks, cables and knives if she disobeyed his rules. Vangai, who was a Muslim at the time, prayed to Allah to ask why he didn’t rescue her and her children from this ordeal. But Allah didn’t answer her, so she took her children and moved back into her parents’ house.

What happened to Vangai’s face?

Vangai’s husband demanded that she return to him many times while she was living with her parents. She denied each time, and he told her that he would kill her if she did not return. After this, he barged into the family home to try and force her to go back with him. When Vangai fought back, her husband threw acid on her face. The pain was so extreme that Vangai became unconscious.

What happened when Vangai woke up?

Vangai woke up in hospital, and her life had been changed forever. When she looked in the mirror, she was so upset that she screamed as she saw that she had lost her beautiful face. Many international news media organisations covered her story, and her husband was sent to jail as a result.

How did Vangai learn about Jesus?

Vangai came across a South Korean Christian missionary, who was serving in Afghanistan. This missionary arranged for plastic surgery to be done on Vangai’s face in South Korea. It was there that Vangai learned about Jesus for the first time. When she learned that Jesus Christ was the real God, Vangai was very disappointed that she had been on the wrong path until then. However, once she learned about Jesus, nothing was more important to her than Him; she gave her life to Jesus while in South Korea. Then, following her surgeries, she returned to Afghanistan.

How did the Taliban affect Vangai?

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in September 2021. Vangai wasn’t initially afraid of them, until she learned that they would release all the inmates from jail: she remembered her husband saying that the day he was released from jail, he would kill Vangai and her whole family. She escaped to the neighbouring country of Pakistan with her 4 children, 2 siblings and mother, who had also become Christians. However, she knew that they couldn’t live there for long.

What did Barnabas Aid do for Vangai?

When Barnabas Aid heard about Vangai, we arranged for her to be among the Afghani Christians we rescued from Pakistan and relocated to Brazil. In Brazil, Vangai is free to worship the Lord with the congregation of her church; the Taliban cannot stop her from practicing her faith there. All the Afghani Christians we brought to Brazil have been adopted by local churches. With some financial support from Barnabas, the congregations are providing them with housing, food, Portuguese language classes and pastoral care. 

We asked Vangai what she thought about having a beautiful new face when she goes to heaven. This was her response:

“It’s funny that you ask this question, because I often wonder about it. But honestly, for me, having a relationship with God is much more important than getting my face back. Jesus is my best friend, and I am so happy that He is with me in every difficulty. When I die, I want Him to tell me that He is satisfied with me as a true believer of God. When I was a Muslim, I used to pray to Allah a lot and I never got any response. But now, when I pray to God, He provides everything.”

Why are Christians having to leave Afghanistan?

Many Afghani Christians are converts from Islam. According to Sharia law, people who have converted away from Islam should be put to death. The Taliban are strict followers of this law, and particularly target Christian converts, as the Taliban associate Christianity with Western powers.