The Taliban in Balkh province have urged religious scholars affiliated with their group to gather and share the people’s problems with the authorities. They believe that establishing a council of religious scholars is a “shortcut” to resolving these issues, although people argue that specialized knowledge is necessary. Members of this council in Balkh have also requested an increased role in government decision-making from the Taliban. It is worth mentioning that all members of the Taliban’s cabinet and government officials are religious scholars affiliated with the group. In the past two years, the Taliban have categorized religious scholars as insiders and outsiders, detaining numerous Salafi scholars and taking control of their schools. It is important to note that Salafi scholars have been marginalized as prayer leaders and educators in certain disadvantaged areas, following verbal orders from the Taliban.
Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban, has ordered the establishment of a council of religious scholars in Balkh province. This council, consisting of nine members, convened a session on Friday, June 23, in the presence of Yusuf Wafa, the Taliban’s governor for the province. During the session, Yusuf Wafa instructed the council members to collect and communicate the issues faced by the people in their respective areas to the Taliban officials. He emphasized the role of religious scholars in listening to people’s problems and conveying them to the appropriate authorities. The governor further stated, “The establishment of a council of religious scholars is the shortcut to addressing people’s problems. Scholars should encourage individuals to share their concerns in various matters, enabling responsible authorities to take action and resolve these issues.”
Meanwhile, the members of the Taliban’s council of religious scholars in Balkh province have requested increased involvement in government decision-making from their supreme leader. Sayed Hashimi, the head of the Taliban’s council of religious scholars in Balkh province, pointed out that religious scholars have been excluded from participating in government decision-making until now. During the session, he stated, “Power and authority have been distributed in various domains, but religious scholars have been marginalized and excluded from all of them.”
Following Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada’s order, the council of religious scholars is established in each province to address and enhance the functioning of government institutions based on his discretion. However, it is noteworthy that these councils are being established amidst the Taliban’s detention and imprisonment of numerous Salafi religious scholars after their takeover of Afghanistan. Salafis residing in the eastern and northeastern regions of the country are facing rigorous pursuit and interrogation by the Taliban. In the most recent incident, militants associated with the group have detained or expelled several Salafi scholars from their government positions in Badakhshan province.
According to local sources in Badakhshan province, the Hasht-e Subh Daily reports that the Taliban recently shut down a prominent school run by Salafi scholars in the “Joybar Zardew” area of the Shuhaha district. Residents requested the school’s reopening, but the Taliban responded by dismissing the Salafi teachers and replacing them with their affiliated clerics. They have also made alterations to the educational curriculum. Salafis now face restrictions on expressing their religious teachings and are at risk of imprisonment under the Taliban regime. Furthermore, Taliban intelligence forces from Kabul have arrived in Badakhshan province and detained several Salafis, transporting them to Kabul. An anonymous local source in Badakhshan province reveals that three individuals, including a cleric and two others with Salafi inclinations, were detained in the Baharak district. Similar detentions have taken place in other areas. The situation for Salafis has significantly worsened.
Other sources in Badakhshan province have also reported on the restrictions imposed by the Taliban on Salafi scholars. According to these sources, the Taliban have dismissed the majority of Salafi scholars from government positions and prohibited their teaching activities. The Hasht-e Subh Daily received information from a reliable source, stating that the Taliban have applied immense pressure on this group of clerics, preventing them from being employed as mosque imams. The source further explains, “Even the public is not allowed to select a Salafi cleric as their mosque imam. Salafis are deprived of their right to speak and express their opinions in national gatherings and debates. This incident specifically took place in the Baharak district, where the appointment of a Salafi as a mosque imam has been prevented by the Taliban in this province.”
The Taliban views the establishment of councils comprising their affiliated scholars as the most direct approach to addressing people’s problems, as many citizens express discontent with the lack of qualified and competent individuals in government institutions. According to these citizens, the Taliban have appointed individuals to lead government agencies who possess no fundamental management knowledge. This not only erodes people’s trust in government institutions but also obstructs talent development and opportunities, resulting in the exodus of skilled individuals from the country. Mohammadullah Darwish, a resident of Kabul, emphasized to the Hasht-e Subh Daily that if the Taliban wishes to ensure the longevity of their regime, they must relinquish “Mullahcracy” and refrain from imposing the Taliban’s ideology from the top down. He stresses the importance of experts attentively listening to people’s problems in the current crisis and formulating plans to address them, or appointing accountable individuals who represent the voices of the people. According to him, resolving environmental issues, drought, and trade challenges, and tackling the poverty and hunger crisis necessitates specialized knowledge and expertise. He highlights that the Taliban’s satisfaction does not lie solely in having religious scholars occupy all cabinet, ministerial, and high-ranking positions; rather, they seek to entrust the entire nation to the authority of mullahs from “A to Z.”
Fariba Samandari (pseudonym), a female protester, expressed to the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban aims to strike a final blow to the feeble body of the country’s administrative system. According to her, the Taliban not only excludes women but also regards educated, professional, and knowledgeable men as outsiders. She emphasizes the widespread reverence for religious scholars and the esteemed position mullahs hold in all aspects of collective life. However, the provision of government services, tackling citizens’ challenges and ensuring responsiveness necessitate modern approaches and mechanisms that enable effective communication of people’s problems to the authorities. Ms. Samandari insists that those representing the people should be elected and remain accountable for their right to vote, as the work undertaken by the Taliban’s council of religious scholars is a moral obligation and lacks official responsibility. She further underscores the added disadvantage faced by women in this regard, as they are unable to directly approach a mullah and communicate women-specific issues.
Citizens in the country express their grievances regarding the delegation of authority to the Taliban’s council of religious scholars, and even some members within the group have voiced criticism about the current state of affairs. General Mubin, a social media activist associated with the group, strongly condemned the Taliban government, which he referred to as “Mullahcracy,” on various social media platforms. Unfortunately, he is currently detained. Mubin had previously voiced his disapproval of the Taliban regime’s establishment of a “Mullahcracy” instead of a meritocracy, where power is concentrated solely in the hands of the Taliban.
Previously, the National Assembly of Afghanistan and Provincial Councils in Afghanistan held authority as elected bodies, representing the will of the people to address their problems and oversee government activities. However, since the Taliban’s control over Afghanistan, they have considered these institutions unnecessary and abolished them.
