KABUL, Afghanistan: The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Wednesday sounded the alarm on growing religious repression under Taliban rule, citing the forced closure of dozens of Ismaili places of worship and mounting restrictions on Shia religious practices.
According to UNAMA’s latest report, Taliban regime officials, spearheaded by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, shut down at least 33 Ismaili Jamatkhanas across northeastern Badakhshan province.
The crackdown hit 17 prayer halls in Zebak district, 14 in Ishkashim and two in Wakhan.
Worshippers were ordered to vacate the premises after Taliban regime members claimed that the presence of mihrabs meant the structures should be reclassified and run exclusively as mosques.
Further reports also noted that a Shia Imambargah in Kabul was seized and converted into a madrasa, with worshipers barred from entering, while media restrictions continued to limit coverage of these developments.
To manage sectarian unrest, the regime’s interim deputy minister of defence Abdul Qayyum Zakir was appointed as a special operations commander.
UNAMA further detailed restrictions on Shia religious observances during Ashura, noting that Shia communities in Parwan and Logar provinces were instructed to limit their ceremonies strictly to designated mosques.
Additionally, UNAMA confirmed that 45 Shia men were detained in Kabul for displaying Ashura flags.
The UN and international rights groups have repeatedly expressed serious concern over these measures, warning that the closure of worship sites and restrictions on religious ceremonies infringe upon freedom of worship, deepen sectarian divisions and leave various Muslim communities and sects in Afghanistan vulnerable to exclusion.
