Influential Shia Cleric Calls On Mourners To Defy Taliban Orders On Muharram Rituals
Ayatollah Sayed Mohsen Hojjat has asked the Taliban to respect Muharram rituals and ceremonies and lift the imposed restrictions on Shia practices in Afghanistan.
Ayatollah Sayed Mohsen Hojjat has asked the Taliban to respect Muharram rituals and ceremonies and lift the imposed restrictions on Shia practices in Afghanistan.
While speaking to a crowd of Shia mourners in Kabul, Hojjat pointed out the Taliban's harsh treatment of the mourners and asked Shias in Afghanistan not to obey the Taliban’s restrictive orders.
It is not clear when the speech had been delivered, but Tamadon TV in Kabul broadcasted it on Tuesday, in which Hojjat talks about the Taliban's new restrictions imposed on the Ashura ceremony. He has described these restrictions as the Taliban's disrespect for the Shia sect and its followers.
Sayed Mohsen Hojjat criticised the Taliban’s ban on raising flags during Muharram and opening of cabins for voluntary distribution of food and water and asked Shias to ignore these Taliban’s orders.
Hojjat said, "We are from this country and we obey this government as long as they don’t talk against our sect. If they ask us to take down our flag, you should not do it.”
He asked the people to commemorate the Ashura ceremony regardless of the "beating" of the Taliban.
The Taliban have said that they have restricted Muharram mourning ceremonies for security reasons. This position has angered the Shia Ulema Council of Afghanistan as the organisation has demanded the lifting of these bans.
