Taliban have extensively suppressed and tortured critics and opponents of their regime over the past two and a half years. A senior Taliban official recently warned that no one has the right to criticize this group. The Director of Invitation and Guidance at the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled Affairs under Taliban control stated that religion does not allow anyone to criticize the supreme leader and senior officials of this group. He still considers the “English People” as enemies of God and threatens that men should not shave their beards and make their faces look like foreigners. Meanwhile, the Taliban prime minister also stated that “protecting Islam and religion rests solely on them” and that the hope of the entire Islamic world is towards this group. These warnings come as the Taliban have been continuously accused by their critics and opponents over the past two and a half years of promoting unprecedented extremism and fundamentalism. This group has repeatedly referred to its critics and opponents as “legally killable”.
Abdul Ahad Masood, the Director of Invitation and Guidance at the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled Affairs under Taliban control, issued a warning during the distribution of certificates to graduates of the capacity-building workshop of this ministry. He cautioned against criticizing this group. He added that religion does not permit critics of this group to criticize Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, ministers, and governors of this group.
The Director of Invitation and Guidance at the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled Affairs of the Taliban stated: “Our religion dictates that no one is allowed to pursue the media, gossip behind the emirate [Taliban regime], talk against the Islamic system, or criticize [the supreme leader of the Taliban] or ministers and governors.”
Abdul Ahad Masood strongly criticized shaving beards and likened those who shave their beards to “enemies of God.” He said, “We are obliged to keep our beards. The English are miserable people, enemies of God, and we should not make our faces resemble theirs.”
This comes as Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Taliban prime minister, stated that the eyes of the entire Islamic world are on this group. He emphasized that the responsibility of preserving Islam and religion rests solely on the Taliban. The Taliban prime minister added, “At this critical time, the protection of Islam and religion is solely our responsibility. The eyes of the entire Islamic world are towards us, and this is a divine responsibility.” He made these statements in response to recent positions taken by the United Nations and the international community regarding executions and public lashings by this group.
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs of the Taliban, has also warned that nobody has the right to oppose this group. He threatened that no group would be allowed to undermine the Taliban regime.
It’s worth noting that these warnings are not recent; previously, other officials of this group have deemed their critics as “legally killable” and threatened them with death. Senior Taliban officials have repeatedly considered killing their opponents a “religious duty.”
Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the acting minister of higher education under Taliban control and a close associate of the group’s supreme leader, has repeatedly threatened Taliban critics and opponents with suppression and death. He, who plays a significant role in shutting down universities and educational institutions for girls and women, has issued fatwas for the killing of Taliban opponents several times.
When Nadeem served as the governor of Kabul under the Taliban, he issued fatwas for the suppression and killing of the group’s opponents. In a speech, he stated that opposing the Taliban system is forbidden, and opponents are “legally killable.”
This Taliban official, in continuation of his aggressive statements, on Saturday, March 11 of the past year, during a speech at the closing ceremony of the training course for the group’s clerics and judges in Kandahar province, labeled Taliban opponents as “legally killable.” He warned, “Anyone who disrupts the system [Taliban regime], whether through words, writings, or actions, all of them are considered rebels and legally killable.” He still regards killing opponents of the Taliban regime as a “religious duty.”
These warnings come as widespread international and domestic criticism against this group has intensified due to severe and widespread violations of human rights and the suppression of citizens. According to human rights organizations, the Taliban’s arbitrary arrests of women and girls on the streets and targeted killings of former military personnel and their opponents have intensified the atmosphere of terror and fear in Afghanistan.
In the latest development, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, stated that half of Afghanistan’s population is deprived of their human rights, and the human rights situation, especially for women and girls, has deteriorated in Afghanistan. The UN Special Rapporteur said in a video message, “Human rights are universal and indivisible. Those who severely violate human rights are responsible and must be held accountable. My recent report from Afghanistan depicts the bitter reality that the human rights situation under Taliban rule has become dire.” Mr. Bennett added, “We have documented public executions and corporal punishments. Peaceful dissent has been suppressed.” The United Nations has also deemed the executions by the Taliban unacceptable and called for an immediate halt to such actions.
Over the past two and a half years, the Taliban have repeatedly threatened their critics and opponents with death. This group has revoked the license of all political parties and banned their activities.
Senior officials of this group have stated on numerous occasions that no political movement can engage in political and civil activities against this group. This comes as the global community, including countries supporting the Taliban, has repeatedly urged this group to establish an all-inclusive political structure and fully respect the human rights of all Afghan citizens, especially women and girls.
While the Taliban threaten their critics and opponents with death, Afghanistan is a diverse society in terms of ethnicity, language, and religion. However, the Taliban do not tolerate cultural, religious, and political diversity and compel everyone to adhere to Taliban ideology.