The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated in a report that the conditions of religious freedom in Afghanistan under Taliban control have severely deteriorated. According to the report, Shia Muslims in Afghanistan are facing “harassment, persecution, and severe restrictions.” The report emphasizes that the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Sharia law systematically violates religious freedom for Shia Muslims and other religious minorities. The commission stated that the Taliban have banned the teaching of Ja’fari jurisprudence. According to the report, the Taliban have instructed their fighters to intervene in Shia religious practices such as monitoring fasting or not fasting on the first day of Eid al-Fitr. The commission has urged the White House to designate Afghanistan under Taliban rule as a “country of particular concern” for systematic violations of religious freedom and to include religious freedom and belief in its discussions with the Taliban.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issues an annual report on violations of religious freedom and belief and also provides recommendations to countries and organizations violating religious freedom.
According to this report, 17 countries, including Afghanistan, have been identified to the U.S. Department of State to be placed on the “Countries of Particular Concern” list, and the government of the USA is urged to consider religious freedom and belief in their discussions with these countries.
The report mentions countries such as Burma, China, Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Nigeria, and Vietnam, where religious freedoms are violated.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has urged the State Department to include “Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Houthis, ISIS in Africa, and Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin” in the list of special concerns.
The report highlights targeted attacks against Shia clerics over the past year, resulting in casualties, with some attributed to the ISIS Khorasan (IS-K).
The commission specifically mentions Shia Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians as experiencing violations of religious freedom. According to the findings, the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islam has hindered religious minorities from freely practicing their religious rites, even forcing Shia Muslims to break their fast on Eid al-Fitr.
USCIRF notes an increase in attacks primarily targeting Hazara Shia Muslims. It recalls bombings at Shia mosques in Baghlan province and an explosion in a Hazara Shia community in Kabul province, the capital of Afghanistan, resulting in human casualties.
The report underscores that the Taliban’s harsh enforcement of religious laws has led to lashings, arrests, restrictions on movement, dress code enforcement, and limitations on women’s employment and education, disproportionately affecting women and religious minorities.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom added that under Taliban rule, religious holidays and cultural celebrations such as Nowruz have also been suppressed. According to the findings of the report, Shia Muslims in Afghanistan endure “imposed restrictions by the Taliban and ongoing violence, facing significant challenges in practicing their religion.”
The commission’s report emphasizes the Taliban’s ban on education for girls and women, highlighting that they have issued dozens of directives systematically undermining women’s rights. These directives affect various aspects such as education, employment, mobility, and the rights of religious minorities.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has called on the government of this country to impose targeted sanctions on Taliban officials responsible for religious freedom violations, freeze their assets, prevent their entry into the United States, and urge other countries to impose similar sanctions against the Taliban.
This comes as a few months ago, the Ministry of Higher Education under the control of the Taliban, ordered all public and private university libraries in the country to purge non-Hanafi jurisprudence books, or else face consequences.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has urged the government of this country to condemn the crimes of the Taliban and ISIS. The commission emphasized that it has released its report this year to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act.
Meanwhile, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, several media support organizations and journalists in Afghanistan have expressed concerns over widespread violations of media freedom, suppression of freedom of expression, and the systematic exclusion of women from the media. They claim that the Taliban, in addition to restricting the free flow of information, have limited access to information and made it virtually impossible in most areas.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has announced the latest World Press Freedom Index. In this ranking, among 180 countries, Afghanistan has become one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, dropping from 152nd to 178th place.
According to the 2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, Afghanistan has experienced a significant decline in media freedom and is among the top five dangerous countries for journalism.
Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, also remarked on World Press Freedom Day, expressing concerns over the increasing restrictions on media work in Afghanistan and arbitrary detentions of journalists. He urged the international community to support journalists in Afghanistan.
The UN Women continues to report that 80% of female journalists in Afghanistan have been forced to abandon their work due to restrictions, harassment, and fear. The organization states its support for media initiatives and women journalists.
However, the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) has expressed concerns over the intensified restrictions on media and journalists, as well as the ongoing widespread detention of journalists by the Taliban, warning of its consequences. The organization notes that media outlets and journalists in the country face significant limitations in terms of their freedom and enjoyment of fundamental and legal rights, with their rights extensively violated.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center stated that over the past nearly three years, the Taliban have issued 17 directives against the media, including broad prohibitions.
Furthermore, the Hasht-e Subh Daily has published a list of journalists and media staff, revealing that 132 individuals have been killed in suicide, explosive, and targeted attacks by the Taliban and other groups, including ISIS Khorasan, during the past two decades.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
افغانستان تحت حاکمیت طالبان در قعر جدول آزادی مذهبی و رسانهای قرار دارد