Rights Group Asks Taliban To Stop Targeted Attacks On Shias During Month of Muharram

Human rights group, Freedom Now, announced that the Taliban's restrictions on Muharram ceremonies and their violent dispersal of Shia mourners in Kabul is indicative of the group’s lack of tolerance towards Afghanistan’s diversity.

The rights group asked the Taliban to stop their targeted attacks against the Shia community members across the country.

During the past week, Afghanistan International revealed several video clips and reports that showed the Taliban preventing Shias from performing the rituals during the month of Muharram and how they used violence and repression against the Shia mourners.

In one of the video clips, the Taliban violently disrupt a ceremony of Shia members in district one of Kabul city and attack the mourner’s distribution of food and water.

Another video clip shows that the Taliban stopped the caravans of Muharram mourners in at least two districts of Muradkhani and Wazir Akbar Khan area in the center of Kabul city and beat up members of the Shia community.

Similarly, Afghanistan International received other video clips from different provinces of Afghanistan which showcase the Taliban officials removing the flags of the mourners from streets and shops.

After repeated reports of violence against groups of mourners in Kabul, the Taliban confirmed using violence against the Shia mourners. The Taliban police command in Kabul said that "due to the disobedience" of the Shia mourners from what they called an “understanding reached with the Shia elders” about the locations where they were allowed to hold the Muharram rituals and ceremonies, the "security forces" of the group had to intervene.

The Taliban’s violence has been met with wide-ranging reactions inside and abroad Afghanistan.

Prominent Shia cleric, Ayatollah Sayed Mohsen Hojjat, asked Shias not to obey the restrictive orders of the Taliban.

On the other hand, the Shia Ulema Council said that due to security reasons, people should refrain from mourning on the streets and public places.