Taliban’s PM Calls On Opponents To Cease Opposition In Eid Speech

Ziaullah Hashmi, the spokesperson for the Taliban's Ministry of Higher Education, reposted the file, calling it an "important fatwa”.

In the audio file, Sheikh Abdul Ali Deobandi cites narratives from the early days of Islam, asserting that women are not allowed to attend congregational prayers or learn to write.

This Taliban mufti criticises Islamic countries that grant women the right to education, stating that while these countries are called "Islamic," they are not capable of implementing Sharia law in reality.

Abdul Ali Deobandi emphasises that women's participation in congregational prayers and learning to write leads to "corruption”.

For over a thousand days, the Taliban have prevented the reopening of secondary and higher education schools for girls. Since December 20, 2022, the Taliban have also stopped women from continuing their university education.

In the audio, Abdul Ali Deobandi responds to a radio listener's question about education for women from the perspective of "Islamic Sharia”. He states, "If women learn to write, they will write letters to others." He adds, "Old and young women have been banned from education and attending congregational prayers because our times are times of temptation, and this leads to women's corruption."

Deobandi also warns about women using mobile phones, stating that women use them to "form relationships and turn to immorality and vices”.

This announcement follows the Taliban's declaration on Sunday that they will participate in the meeting. According to the report, plans are in place to consult with civil society members before and after the Doha meeting, but they will not attend sessions where the Taliban members are present.

It remains unclear who these consulted civil society members will be.

Unlike the previous two Doha meetings, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will not travel to Qatar for this session. The Taliban and UN officials have been negotiating in Kabul for weeks regarding the group's participation in the Doha meeting.

On Sunday, the Taliban confirmed that a delegation from their group would attend the third Doha meeting. However, they warned that any changes to the composition or agenda of the meeting could affect their decision to participate.

In the second Doha meeting, the UN attempted to persuade the Taliban to attend, but these efforts were unsuccessful. At that time, the Taliban set conditions, including that no one but their group should represent Afghans at the meeting.

It appears that for the third Doha meeting, the UN has accepted the Taliban's demands, and the meeting will be held with the Taliban as the sole representatives from Afghanistan.

Women's protest movements and political parties opposing the Taliban have repeatedly stated that holding the Doha meeting without representatives of women and political parties is akin to giving concessions to the Taliban. On June 5, in a joint statement, political groups and protesting women wrote, "Engaging with terrorist groups will not solve the problem and will exacerbate the consequences of the crisis."

Akhundzada stated that he would be happy to step down from his position if the Taliban could resolve their differences.

In the 22-minute audio file, broadcast by Taliban-controlled Radio Television Afghanistan, Akhundzada primarily addressed his concerns about internal conflicts within the Taliban.

Akhundzada urged Taliban members to set aside their differences and turn enmity into friendship. He remarked, "Pharaoh tried to divide people into different groups and rule over them."

Akhundzada further stated that he could create discord among others and remove one group through another, but he refrains from doing so, considering the creation of divisions among people a "Pharaonic policy”.

Addressing the group members, he said that if they all came together one day and removed him from leadership, he would be pleased, but he does not want any discord among them.

Last week, the International Research Council for Religious Affairs (IRCRA) published a new study revealing that the Taliban is not a monolithic group and has various internal conflicts.

According to this Pakistani organisation, Taliban leaders and members have ideological, tribal, and organisational differences.

The study, released on June 10 by the International Research Council for Religious Affairs in Pakistan, shows that ideologically, there are differences between hardline Taliban and those who support a relatively moderate approach.

Researchers traveled to Afghanistan and interviewed dozens of Taliban officials, including Mullah Shirin, the group's governor in Kandahar and senior advisor to Hibatullah Akhundzada, as well as researchers and members of Afghan civil society.

The study also highlights intra-Pashtun differences within the Taliban. For example, it mentions conflicts between Kandahari and Paktika Taliban.

The report also notes that the disconnect between the Taliban's political leaders and field fighters has led to organisational differences among them.

Mujahid stated that thousands of people attended the prayer. However, no images of the Taliban leader at the ceremony have been released.

During previous Eid celebrations too, the Taliban had reported that their leader led the Eid prayer in Kandahar, but no images have been published till now.

Unlike Saudi Arabia, the Taliban declared Monday, as Eid. The difference in the announcement of Eid dates by the Taliban and Saudi Arabia has sparked widespread reactions on social media.

Bagheri emphasised on the Taliban's close ties with regional countries and stated that the Taliban would not permit foreign actors, responsible for the current situation in Afghanistan, to interfere.

Bagheri assumed leadership of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs after Amir Hossein Abdollahian, the country foreign minister was killed in an air accident.

Nearly a month after Bagheri's appointment, this marks his first official contact with the Taliban's Foreign Minister. Notably, the Taliban did not send a representative to the recent Tehran meeting on Afghanistan.

During his conversation with Muttaqi, Bagheri stressed on the importance of strengthening the Taliban's relations with regional countries and distancing themselves from Western nations.

He wrote on his X account, "The people of Afghanistan are the primary decision-makers for their country, in cooperation with neighbouring and regional countries. They do not allow intervention from foreign actors who have a history of destructive interventions and are responsible for the current problems."

Bagheri added that the Islamic Republic and the Taliban, given the "civilisational and cultural commonalities" of the two countries, "strive in cooperation and coordination to maintain regional stability and security”.

Following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Iran has been one of the major regional countries that has continuously improved its relations with the Taliban. However, Tehran has not responded positively to the Taliban's main demand for diplomatic recognition.