Ismaili residents in Darwaz, Badakhshan, have complained of mounting pressure, coercion, and widespread violations of their religious freedoms in the province. They say that they live under constant threats, repression, and fear of imprisonment or death at the hands of local Taliban members, particularly Juma Faateh, a Taliban commander known for “killings and repression.” According to these residents, their lives are becoming increasingly restricted under Taliban rule. Some Ismailis add that they fear the repercussions of having their plight reported in the media, as each publication leads to even greater Taliban pressure. However, they emphasize that such abuses should not be forgotten under enforced silence.
Ismaili followers in Badakhshan accuse the Taliban of discrimination and religious persecution. They say that over the past four years, the Taliban, particularly Juma Faateh, have exerted severe religious pressure on Ismaili residents, forcing some to convert. According to sources, this Taliban commander has also been accused of involvement in the killing of former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces personnel.
Local sources report that Juma Faateh, the Taliban commander in Nusay District, imposes daily and increasingly harsh restrictions on Ismaili communities in the districts of Shekay and Nusay. They say that Faateh has used his authority to suppress the social and religious freedoms of the population.
These sources add that Faateh has suspended all religious programs of the Ismaili community in Nusay and has even banned the recitation and teaching of the Quran by Ismaili clerics and youth.
One source said: “In the village of Zangaria in Shekay District, Faateh has armed several uneducated and inexperienced young men and uses them as instruments of intimidation and abuse. Acting in the name of religion and under his orders, they have created an atmosphere of fear and terror among the people.”
According to reports, Faateh has established a madrasa in the upper Jamerch village, home to around 500 Ismaili families, and uses threats and firearms to compel parents to send their children to this religious school. If families refuse, they are fined tens of thousands of Afghanis. The sources also note that the Faateh forces force residents to collect firewood on the orders of “Qari Wahab,” and those who resist face threats and punishment.
These sources further report that the Taliban commander pays illiterate and uninformed individuals to act as tools of coercion and intimidation against the public. As a result, divisions, hostility, and the erosion of mutual trust and peaceful coexistence have spread among residents of the area.
According to the sources, Ismaili communities in at least three districts of Badakhshan are facing severe Taliban oppression. They have called on both Taliban officials and international organizations to intervene and stop the abuses and extortion carried out by this local commander.
One source said, “People are under tremendous pressure from the Taliban. Even Taliban officials refuse to attend Ismaili funerals and memorial gatherings, claiming their food is forbidden. Strange things are happening. Most of those who commit these acts of oppression are themselves from Badakhshan.” The source added that people live under extreme psychological stress and constant fear of arrest or forced conversion. Because of this, any report that reflects the Ismaili situation is perceived as harmful, leading some to publicly deny such accounts or label them as rumors to show alignment with the Taliban.
Ismaili residents in Badakhshan have particularly complained about the growing oppression of Juma Faateh, the Taliban commander who had previously forced at least 50 Ismaili and Twelver Shia men in Badakhshan to change their faith. The Taliban in Badakhshan had announced in February 2024 that these Ismailis had been “converted to Islam.” Before that, around 25 others had been forced to convert.
At the time, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also confirmed that at least 50 Ismaili men in Badakhshan had been coerced into adopting Sunni Islam, with some beaten or threatened with death.
Sources told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that this Taliban commander had referred to the Ismaili residents of Shughnan, Ishkashim, Yamgan, and Zibak districts as “infidels” and warned them to change their beliefs immediately.
Earlier, the Taliban in Badakhshan had forced an Ismaili follower who had been compelled to convert to publicly recite the Shahada—a declaration normally required of those converting from non-Islamic faiths to Islam.
Concerns over the Taliban’s discriminatory and repressive treatment of religious minorities are mounting. Earlier, Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the Taliban’s Minister of Higher Education, had claimed that only the Hanafi school of Islam exists in Afghanistan. Speaking at Sayed Jamaluddin Afghan University in Kunar Province, he said, “All citizens of Afghanistan follow the Hanafi sect.”
Similarly, Noor Mohammad Islamjar, the Taliban governor of Herat, described Shias in his book Discussions on the Maturidi Creed (The Dependence of Maturid on the Beliefs of Maturid) as a “takfiri sect” and “historically allies of infidels.”
Previously, the U.S. Department of State, in its annual International Religious Freedom Report, stated that religious freedoms in Afghanistan face widespread violence and discrimination, and that the Taliban have failed to protect the places of worship of religious minorities.
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development has also reported that the Taliban have effectively prohibited the religious and doctrinal freedoms of Shia Muslims. In addition, António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, informed the UN Security Council that the Taliban barred large Shia gatherings during Ashura and killed four people in the city of Ghazni during the commemorations.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
خفقان مذهبی و سکوت اجباری؛ اسماعیلیان درواز بدخشان در معرض سرکوب جمعی
