Christians have historically comprised a small community in Afghanistan. The total number of Christians in Afghanistan is currently estimated to be between 15,000 and 20,000 according to International Christian Concern. Almost all Afghan Christians are converts from Islam. The Pew Research Center estimates that 40,000 Afghan Christians were living in Afghanistan in 2010. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan did not recognize any Afghan citizen as being a Christian, with the exception of many expatriates (although, Rula Ghani, the country's First Lady from 2014 until 2021, is a Maronite Christian from Lebanon). Christians of Muslim background communities can be found in Afghanistan, estimated between 500-8,000, or between 10,000 to 12,000. Current status Taliban Rule Afghanistan is currently number one on Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. After the Taliban retook control of the country in August 2021, the USCIRF warned that Christians in the country were in "extreme danger." Many fled and sought asylum, while the few Christians left in the country reported that they were in hiding from Taliban sweeps. The Taliban falsely claims that there are "no Christians" remaining in Afghanistan. Closet Christians Despite societal restrictions, many sources claim that there is a secret underground community of Afghan Christians living in Afghanistan. The US Department of State has stated that estimates of the size of this group range from 500 to 8000 individuals. However, estimates of the size of the Afghan Christian community in Afghanistan are not reliable. Due to Afghanistan's hostile legal environment, Afghan Christians secretly practice their faith in private homes. The complete Bible is available online in Dari, and the New Testament is available in Pashto. Christian converts There are a number of Afghan Christians (both converts and their descendants) who live outside Afghanistan, including Christian communities in India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Austria, Finland, and Germany. History The Apostle Thomas and early Christianity According to the Acts of the Apostles () in the Bible ethnic Jews and converts to Judaism from the Parthian Empire (which included parts of western Afghanistan) were present at Pentecost. According to Eusebius' record, the apostles Thomas and Bartholomew were assigned to Parthia. A legend that is contained in the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas and other ancient documents suggests that Saint Thomas preached in Bactria, an ancient region in Central Asia that was located