Afghanistan International: A representative of the Afghan Sikh and Hindu diaspora in the United Kingdom has expressed deep concern over recent remarks made by Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s Minister for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, labelling them as offensive and inflammatory. Harbans Singh, speaking to Afghanistan International, condemned the minister’s statements,
Amu: Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s vice and virtue minister, at a gathering in Kabul called non-Muslims — including Hindus and Sikhs — as “worse than four-legged animals,” raising renewed fears for the safety and dignity of Afghanistan’s religious minorities under Taliban rule. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Tuesday marked the fifth anniversary of a deadly assault on a Sikh temple in Kabul that killed 26 people and injured eight others. Daesh claimed responsibility for the 2020 attack, one of the deadliest in recent memory against Afghanistan’s Sikh minority. Five years on, rights activists and analysts say that religious extremism has only
Afghanistan International: Rukhshana Media reported that the Taliban has established a jihadi school for followers of the Shia Ismaili sect in Shighnan District, Badakhshan. According to the report, Taliban’s Sunni mullahs teach Sunni religious books to children in the predominantly Shia Ismaili district of Shighnan. Rukhshana Media reported on Monday (October 28), citing its sources,
Afghanistan International: The destruction of the Abdul Ali Mazari roundabout in western Kabul by the Taliban has sparked widespread reactions from political and cultural figures on social media. Some social media users have accused the Taliban of deliberately destroying symbols representing ethnic groups. Click here to read more (external link). Other Human Rights News Religious
8am: The massacre of Shia pilgrims at the border between the provinces of Ghor and Daykundi, for which ISIS has claimed responsibility, has once again highlighted the issue of Anti-Shiism among extremist Islamic groups. This event occurred in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, a group that has repeatedly demonstrated that it is no less anti-Shia than
8am: 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
Khaama: It emphasizes that the Taliban failed to protect places of worship in Afghanistan over the past year. The State Department’s annual report also mentions the declining Sikh and Hindu populations, attacks on Shia mosques, and assaults on Hazaras. It cites historical events, including the killing of a Salafi cleric in Kapisa in 2023, prompting
Afghanistan International: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated that religious minorities in Afghanistan face threats from terrorist groups such as ISIS, as well as harassment and persecution from the Taliban. The commission’s report specifically mentions that Shias, Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians are individuals whose religious freedom has been violated. In its
News Line Magazine: Tova Moradi, who was forced to flee Kabul, recalls her religious roots, a girlhood interrupted and the love she still carries – Around sundown on Aug. 31, 2021, a minivan stopped in front of Tova Moradi’s house in Kabul, Afghanistan. She had to get in as quickly and quietly as possible. Any