Several Shiite citizens in the country have condemned the use of derogatory terms against Shiites by Taliban officials and institutions. They urge the group to be more cautious in their use of language and terminology. They believe that Taliban officials and institutions should use terms that bridge the gap between sects and religions when speaking in public or issuing press statements. They point to the use of the term “reform meeting for Shiites” in a statement from the Taliban Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, and the declaration of Ashura ceremonies as an innovation by the group’s head of Information and Culture in Herat province, noting that such statements are offensive and filled with prejudice, fostering hatred between Shiite followers and other religious groups in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Shiite civil activists consider Shiites a reality of current society in Afghanistan and call on the Taliban to cease actions and statements filled with animosity towards Shiite followers and other religions.
Faiz Mohammad, a resident of Kabul and a Shiite citizen told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the religious prejudices of the Taliban’s officials are evident in their behavior and speech: “I have heard many times through television and from Taliban sources that they have called Shiite people misguided and ignorant. Look at the Taliban’s behavior during the month of Muharram; they beat and detained people because of their Shiite identity and insulted them, calling their practices an innovation.”
This Kabul resident adds: “Any government or regime in power should support all citizens regardless of religion, sect, or differing viewpoints. It should not insult and demean people every day for any reason.”
Mushtaq, another Shiite citizen, says: “I was very upset when I heard about the use of the term ‘reform meeting for Shiite people.’ I couldn’t understand whether to believe that these [Taliban officials] are ignorant or intend to break the hearts of people. Reform meetings should be held for those who do not understand what they are saying and cause public harm.”
Mushtaq continues: “Another Taliban member in Herat claimed that Muharram ceremonies are innovations and that we [the Taliban] have come to prevent this innovation.” This citizen urges the Taliban to respect people’s freedom of belief and their opinions.
In this context, civil society activists call for restraint from the Taliban in dealing with other citizens of the country and urge the group’s officials to avoid discriminatory statements and actions against followers of other sects and religions.
Nooriya Monir, a civil rights activist, states: “Freedom of thought and belief is considered a fundamental human right. However, the Taliban do not believe in any of the rights of the people of Afghanistan. Our expectation from the current rulers who have seized power and deprived people of most freedoms is that they should at least refrain from venting their grievances and subjecting Shiites to insult and mistreatment.”
This civil rights activist adds: “Shiites are a part of the reality of society in Afghanistan. Neither the Taliban nor any other power will be able to change their beliefs or prevent them from performing religious rituals and ceremonies.”
These reactions come as senior officials, fighters, and institutions of the Taliban have repeatedly used terms and expressions that Shiite followers describe as derogatory and discriminatory. For instance, the Taliban’s morality police met with residents of Day Mirdad District, Wardak Province, on Saturday, July 27, and discussed “women’s hijab compliance” with them.
They requested Shiite clerics to communicate their recommendations to the local population through mosque sermons. Despite this, the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice described the meeting as a “reform meeting” in a statement, explaining: “In this meeting, Shiite scholars, tribal elders, and youth were present, and we have obligated them to adhere to our regulations.” The statement emphasized: “The attendees of the meeting committed to fully implementing the recommendations.”
Additionally, Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the head of Taliban’s Information and Culture in Herat province, on July 12, described Ashura ceremonies as an “innovation” during a meeting with several Shiite scholars and stated that such political and foreign innovations must be stopped. However, he did not elaborate on which Ashura ceremonies are considered political innovations and which are foreign innovations. The meeting was about providing security for the Ashura ceremonies and the video recordings of it were widely released by the Taliban’s Directorate of Information and Culture in Herat Province.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
