22 Missionaries – The Afghanistan SMS Text Message Hoax

by on March 1, 2009 · 60 comments

in Hoaxes And Conspiracies

I recently received a few text messages from a cell phone number I don’t recognise.

The SMS message talks of an upcoming set of executions in Afghanistan.

missionary-executions

Here’s the message -

Please pray for 22 Christian misionary families that will be executed today in Afghanistan.

Please spread to others fast.

I’ve searched online and not found anything to confirm if this message is true or a false.

As I don’t recognise the sender’s number, and have no real specific interest in Afghanistan or executions, I would imagine that this is a hoax.

Has anybody else received this text?

Can you shed any light on whether it’s true or not?

Update : Read more here

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{ 57 comments… read them below or add one }

Hruaii February 29, 2012 at 6:09 am

Last night, i have received this message from my friend. And, my big sis too,received this message. Hope it’s true…So, daddy told me to pray for them and as we set a prayer, i pray for them

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Suresh February 5, 2012 at 5:42 pm

The lord is a keeper to protect from all the execute.home of joy hostel children praying for them . Lord send his angel to save from . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ask and it shall be given unto us from executor.

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sadhu wilson February 3, 2012 at 5:42 pm

There is no information any where about people getting executed in afghanistan and the reason i dint believe because its the same number of people 22 every time i recieve the text. can any body clarify whether if its true or wrong?

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Lee February 3, 2012 at 10:28 pm

I’m 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999% certain it isn’t true!

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Felix Julius January 26, 2012 at 5:54 am

av recieved mine last week.av googled but found no enough evidence.plz those who av enough information,update me.

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miriad December 3, 2010 at 4:17 am

well, it is clearly a hoax. However there are numerous christians being executed for the gospel’s sake. Although this specific message is false, we should keep in mind the thousands of christians who are persecuted for Christ’s sake. Are you sharing your faith? Should you be sharing your faith? Just remember that faith without works is dead. So if it were good enough for paul, stephen, peter, etc to share the good news and be executed for it…. then shouldn’t it be good enough for us to share the good news with no risk of persecution in our western countries!!! I challenge each person reading this to share the good news of the gospel with atleast one person this week!!

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Victoria December 2, 2010 at 10:54 pm

i recieved the text this morning but mine was more specific saying it was 22 LDS missionaries up for execution.

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Lee December 3, 2010 at 12:57 am

LDS = Latter Day Saints?

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senayit December 1, 2010 at 8:10 pm

I just got this text few min’s ago, i was shocked and Google to find more info about it but there was nothing. i guys it is not true.

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tonitone December 1, 2010 at 6:48 pm

I also received this text message today, some people are just bored with themselves and therefore start doing things that will attract attention. This happened in July 2007, 3years ago, so why now start sending a text when those people are resting in peace I pray. Satan we rebuke you in the mighty name of Jesus!

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BC11 December 1, 2010 at 12:33 am

Yes, it was true – but if you notice the date on this article (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-470846/Taliban-set-execution-deadline-23-missionary-volunteers-killed.html), it’s back from July 2007.

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Mikey November 30, 2010 at 10:12 pm

is it fake? Who would be stupid enough to make this up!?

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Lee December 1, 2010 at 1:00 am

I believe that this text is based upon events that were indeed true back in 2007. I’m pretty certain that there are no missionaries in imminent danger of being executed right now.

As for the reasons for this being spread around – who knows – there are too many possible motives to list, some being innocent and some not so.

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Mr.undercover December 1, 2010 at 4:02 pm

Yeah I got the same message today Still trying to figuare out wheather it is true or not….and if it is why isn’t it a head line

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Lee December 2, 2010 at 12:36 am

“if it is why isn’t it a head line”

That probably answers your first question!

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mina December 1, 2010 at 11:48 pm

yupp i agree with you !

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Monchi November 30, 2010 at 8:03 pm

Yes, I agree wiith Lady, the enemy try to make fun of us, but this prayer is not in vain. The Lord knows how to administrate our prayers for the ones to come, and for many persecuted christians in the world at this moment. Psalms 37:12.

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jackito November 30, 2010 at 3:16 pm

i dont know if its a hoax, but it is def is old… i got this txt a couple of yrs ago. and then again today… they sure are taking a long tiime to exute those people!

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Lee December 1, 2010 at 12:56 am

I’m pretty certain its a hoax, at least this time around it is.

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dl December 2, 2010 at 1:24 am

u need to repent to GOD for saying that, hoax or not it could be your love ones my prayer is with u that god have mercy on you

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Susan Yeboah November 29, 2010 at 11:12 pm

YES ITS TRUE!

Those of you who searched on the internet did not search hard enough. They are Korean missionaries that are set to be executed, originally there were 23 but one was killed already. You can follow the link below to read the story from the mail online website:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-470846/Taliban-set-execution-deadline-23-missionary-volunteers-killed.html

Or just google it competently, now let us stop wasting time and indeed join in prayer for them!

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Lee November 29, 2010 at 11:18 pm

Look at the date on that Daily Mail article : 25 July 2007 – certainly a worrying story but NOT the tale that is being spread around the net right now.

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Susan Yeboah November 29, 2010 at 11:23 pm

Yeah your right actually, however I did see some recent vids about ti on youtube? Either way I think the text is harmless whether true or not what is inviting people to do is unite their faith and pray for others, i don’t see any harm in that and if people are passing the message on well it is certainly by their own free will and so if mobile phone companies profit then they profit but they are not forcing anyone. Who knows maybe a kind hearted Christian in the faith read the article but did not read the date and then started this chain of prayer…. Bye for now and God Bless you all.

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Lee November 29, 2010 at 11:29 pm

Whilst I don’t think we’ll ever know why this chain started I agree that it was probably done with the best intentions. I also agree that this particular message being spread around doesn’t really hurt anyone BUT, as I have an interest in security, I am still rather wary of such hoaxes as they can sometimes contain nasty surprises when links are added to them, amongst other things.

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Jude November 30, 2010 at 7:05 pm

Actually i was shock in hearing the news about missionary been sentence to death at my church today. All i want to add to my solitude is that whether is true or false, we have to pray as christian for this men of God. And i pray that the God that set paul and silas free from the prison will intervane. Jude from Nigeria.

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kathryn martin November 30, 2010 at 1:48 pm

The article from the mail is dated 2007.

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b November 30, 2010 at 6:11 pm

that was in 2007…

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sweet November 29, 2010 at 7:09 pm

funny that more than 4000 people twitted it within 20 min… what’s happening?????whos doing this???why????

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Lee November 29, 2010 at 7:31 pm

People have the strangest motivations so who knows why!?!

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LadyJ November 29, 2010 at 6:38 pm

I was in the process of sending this message to my prayer partners and thought I’d Google it to get information to send them as back-up…. Well, what the devil meant for evil God will use for His Good. The “Good” that will come out of this is that it raises our consciousness (and prayers) to the plight of missionaries not just in Afghanistan but all over the world. So, please take a moment today to utter a prayer for a missionary family today. God Bless you as you do… Feel free to pass it on.

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rhobz November 28, 2010 at 4:08 pm

I received this msg via text early this morning & for curiosity I search in the internet but I found nothing… I think its a hoax… why they spreading such kind of msg? They give uncomfortable feelings to those who recieved such kind of text.

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Lee November 28, 2010 at 10:29 pm

I’m certain it is a hoax. As for the motives behind those who write such things… who knows?

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esther November 26, 2010 at 3:26 am

I received such txt too…oh no…

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Gerald March 6, 2009 at 5:36 pm

I also recieved the text via my yahoo messanger this morning. I flipped the TV to CNN. There was nothing like that on CNN and BBC. I was wondering where whoever started that got the news from. I just hope it’s not real cos i can’t find any of that news anywhere. It’s so sad that people should spread such news.

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Lee March 7, 2009 at 1:23 am

It’s a definite hoax Gerald.

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Thomas March 6, 2009 at 12:46 pm

I got that message many times since yesterday, came from both people whom I know very well and whom I don’t know. And who takes advantage of it? Celluler provider! More we sent message, more they get money. That’s old trick, and surely a hoax

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Lee March 6, 2009 at 2:24 pm

That’s an interesting point you make about the cell providers.

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Dawn March 5, 2009 at 2:09 am

http://hoaxbusters.org/ have a warning on their site about this. Apparently if you search for info on the web, one of the sponsored links is a particularly horrible virus download.

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Lee March 5, 2009 at 2:12 am

Yep, I’d already discovered that – a Croatian site.

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winiee March 4, 2009 at 5:16 am

I just got it- today 4 March Jakarta time, luckily i checked.

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Lee March 4, 2009 at 9:29 am

Glad to be of service Winiee.

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Cavell March 2, 2009 at 10:15 am

Thank God that this was just a hoax.

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Lee March 2, 2009 at 11:31 am

Yes indeed!

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Kirsten March 1, 2009 at 7:04 pm

I’m praying that these guys will be ok.

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Lee March 1, 2009 at 9:58 pm

It’s a hoax Kirsten, no prayers required on this occassion.

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Lee March 1, 2009 at 12:38 pm

UPDATE :

Bev at Christian Homekeeping has reported that a Google search for this ‘story’ may lead to an attack website.

Beware.

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jon March 1, 2009 at 12:30 pm

also recieved this today, this would be on all the major news services if it was real, searched google and everywhere says it’s a hoax

some sick people out there

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Lee March 1, 2009 at 1:19 pm

There certainly are Jon.

Additionally, though not verified, it seems as though there is a website out there that is using this hoax to attract visitors in order to infect their computers.

More on that if I can find out which site and verify the information…

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Kirsty March 1, 2009 at 10:02 am

I got this too. Is it true? Have you found out yet?

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Lee March 1, 2009 at 11:57 am

No I haven’t Kirsty.

What I’ve read online leads me to think it is a hoax as I’ve found no confirmation yet.

I’ve just asked the question on Twitter and wonder if anyone on there can shed some light on the matter?

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MTB March 4, 2009 at 3:04 am
Lee March 4, 2009 at 9:28 am

It certainly looks like this hoax could be referencing that real-life story from a year or two ago.

Nice find MTB.

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j March 4, 2009 at 8:00 pm

just pray for them anyway

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Mary March 1, 2009 at 8:44 am

It sounds plausible but as you say, why send it to you, and who sent it?

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Lee March 1, 2009 at 11:56 am

Those would be my questions Mary!

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Mo March 1, 2009 at 9:51 pm

We got one of these texts then a prayer request for the same situation from a different source altogether. Neither Reuters nor a Christian News website had any note of this “news”, and so we’re assuming it’s a hoax.

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Lee March 1, 2009 at 9:57 pm

I’m pretty certain of that myself now Mo.

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