Female Afghan Christian Convert Flees Taliban, Only To Risk Deportation In Qatar

According to a report by The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, an Afghan woman who converted from Islam to Christianity says she fled Taliban persecution only to face the threat of deportation from Qatar, raising fresh concerns about the safety of vulnerable Afghan refugees forced to seek protection abroad.

Ziba Mastoor, a former Afghan government official, said she escaped Afghanistan after Taliban intelligence operatives allegedly targeted her because of her Christian faith. After initially seeking refuge in Pakistan, she recently travelled to Qatar on a temporary visitor visa but fears she could be returned to Afghanistan once her visa expires.

Her case highlights the growing uncertainty facing thousands of Afghan refugees, particularly women, religious minorities and former government employees, as neighbouring countries tighten immigration policies and accelerate deportations.

According to Mastoor, she served in a senior position during the administration of former President Ashraf Ghani before the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021.

She told The Media Line that Taliban intelligence agents attempted to arrest her during a night raid on her home after discovering she had converted to Christianity in 2019. She claimed she narrowly escaped before the operatives could detain her.

Mastoor further alleged that Taliban authorities later issued what she described as a sentence of “stoning to death” because of her conversion and subsequently harassed members of her family while searching for her. The Media Line noted that it was unable to independently verify the existence of such a sentence.

“My faith guided me to make this genuine and personal choice,” Mastoor said, adding that her parents, who are ethnic Tajik Muslims, strongly opposed her conversion.

She said the continued pressure from Taliban operatives forced her to flee to neighbouring Pakistan, where she hoped to rebuild her life. However, she claimed she remained under constant fear after receiving information that Taliban agents were attempting to track her across the border.

Acting on warnings from trusted contacts in Kabul, she left Pakistan and travelled to Qatar, where she is now seeking protection.

Her fears come as Pakistan and Iran have intensified efforts to deport undocumented Afghan nationals, a move that has alarmed international humanitarian organisations and refugee advocates.

Since the Taliban returned to power nearly five years ago, Afghanistan has experienced sweeping restrictions on women’s rights and civil liberties. Girls have been barred from attending secondary schools and universities, while women face severe limitations on employment, freedom of movement and participation in public life.

Women who have protested against the Taliban’s policies have reported arbitrary arrests, imprisonment and intimidation.

International Islamic organisations, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), alongside numerous Muslim scholars, have criticised the Taliban’s restrictions on women, arguing they have no basis in Islamic teachings.

Human rights organisations have also documented widespread persecution of religious minorities, journalists, civil society activists and former government officials under Taliban rule.

Although Afghanistan’s Christian population is believed to be extremely small, its exact size remains unknown because most converts practise their faith in secret for fear of persecution.