Some followers of the Shia faith in the country criticize the Taliban’s ban on the entry of Jafari jurisprudence books into the country and the collection of such books from state and private university libraries. According to them, access to religious information is the right of every citizen, and the Taliban’s restrictions on the entry of Jafari jurisprudence books into the country and the prohibition of teaching the jurisprudence of this faith in universities disrespect religious freedom. However, Shia scholars interpret citizens’ criticisms of the Taliban’s discriminatory actions as valid and express hope that the Taliban will bring about changes in their domestic policies and respect all religions.
Mahdi, a resident of the Afshar area in the Darul Aman region, one of the predominantly Shia areas in Kabul, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily, “The Taliban cannot forcibly eliminate a religion or change people’s beliefs. Shia and Sunni students have the right to become familiar with their faith in schools and universities, conduct research in this field, and understand each other’s beliefs well.” He added, “Afghanistan is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country. Only through mutual acceptance of ethnicities and religions can this country achieve peace and stability.”
Fatima Nawrozi, a resident of the Dasht-e Barchi area of Kabul, said, “With their biased beliefs, the Taliban exert pressure on the Hazara and Shia communities in every possible way. Prohibiting the teaching of Jafari jurisprudence in state and private universities is oppression and disrespect for people’s religious freedom.” This Shia follower added that people can obtain the necessary information through religious schools, reading books, and available resources on the internet, but it is unfair for a Shia student to learn Hanafi jurisprudence at university and for a Sunni student to remain unaware of Jafari jurisprudence and rely solely on negative rumors about this faith.
Still, the director of one of the religious complexes in Kabul told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that Shia followers are currently taking necessary precautions to avoid incurring the wrath of the Taliban. This Shia scholar explains that Taliban officials twice denied him entry at the Islam Qala border crossing with Jafari jurisprudence books. He intended to bring a few jurisprudential books from Iran. He added, “The rationale of these gentlemen [Taliban] was that these books confuse public minds, which is incorrect. I argued against them that restricting these books confuses public minds, and we should not hinder the dissemination of knowledge.”
This Shia scholar further states, “Regarding the prohibition of [Shia] jurisprudential books, it is not the right thing to do. The circulation of information, whether religious or non-religious, should be free among people, and readers should have access to it. Religious books should not be suppressed; people should read, see, and ultimately, the reader will decide to choose among diverse information.” He expressed hope that Taliban leaders would reconsider this.
This comes as Shia followers constitute the second-largest religious group in the country. However, the Taliban blatantly deny the existence of religious diversity in the country. Neda Mohammad Nadeem, acting minister of higher education under the Taliban administration, stated during a speech at “Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University” in Kunar province in November last year, that in Afghanistan, there is no religion other than Hanafi Islam. Furthermore, under this administration, the Ministry of Higher Education instructed all private universities last winter to purge their libraries of books contrary to Hanafi jurisprudence. The written directive states: “It is directed that all libraries of private educational institutions in Afghanistan be purified. Collect all books that are contrary to Hanafi jurisprudence, political, or cause doctrinal problems, and replace them with books on the Prophet’s biography.” Additionally, teaching Jafari jurisprudence in state universities has also been banned by the Taliban.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
منع ورود و فروش کتابهای مذهبی؛ شیعیان کشور خواستار رفع محدودیتهای طالبانیاند
