Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan, says that the Taliban administration has stripped the Ja‘fari sect of official recognition and imposed extensive pressure on the practice of Shia religious rulings. He described these measures as a factor contributing to increasing social divisions in Afghanistan.
In a note on his Facebook page, Mohaqiq wrote that the pressures on Shias include insults, beatings of Shia clerics, and interference in matters related to their personal status.
In part of his remarks, he referred to an incident in Kabul, saying that the Taliban beat and humiliated Hussein Dad Sharifi, a well-known Shia Friday prayer leader and cleric, because he conducted a temporary marriage (Nikah Mut‘ah) for a Shia couple.
According to Mohaqiq, dozens of Shia clerics have also been summoned to Taliban police offices and forced to pledge not to conduct marriages according to Shia customs. He added that violators could face up to six months in prison.
The leader of the Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan also referred to an incident in Daikundi province, saying that the claim of marriage by an elderly Pashtun man to a young married Hazara woman led the Taliban court to put pressure on the couple. According to him, the couple’s relatives were arrested, and the couple themselves were forced to leave the area.
Mohammad Mohaqiq described these cases as examples of “religious and honor-related” pressure against Hazaras and Shias and warned that such actions, alongside military and security pressures, will lead to increased tensions and social hostility.
He called on the Taliban administration to respect the personal status of the Hazara and Shia people and emphasized that continuing this policy will benefit no one. Mohaqiq added that the Taliban, at the very least to protect their own interests, should refrain from further interference in the personal and religious affairs of Shias.
Local sources had previously told Afghanistan International that Taliban “Promotion of Virtue” officers transferred Hussein Dad Sharifi to Police District 18 in Kabul and beat him. According to these sources, the reason for the Taliban’s actions against this Shia cleric was that he conducted the marriage of a couple before holding a wedding ceremony.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
