According to a document obtained by Afghanistan International, the Taliban’s Council of Clerics in Badakhshan has offered financial rewards and security guarantees to Ismaili Muslims who convert to Sunni Islam.
Sources say conversions are being enforced through threats and intimidation. The document shows that the Taliban clerics’ council in Badakhshan has drawn up formal guidelines aimed at supporting and encouraging the conversion of Ismailis to Sunni Islam.
The Taliban have established councils of clerics in every province, with members appointed directly by the group’s leader. These councils hold broad authority, and local officials are required to operate in consultation with them.
According to the document, the guidelines were prepared with representatives from the departments of Hajj and Religious Affairs, Education, the Appeals Court and the Office for the Implementation of the Taliban leader’s decrees.
Under the guidelines, Ismailis who convert to Sunni Islam are promised security guarantees, cash rewards and other forms of financial assistance. They are also to be offered placements for young people in religious schools outside Ismaili-populated areas, as well as jobs in government institutions.
The document further states that students who change their sect should receive financial incentives, while religious seminars will be organised to encourage and persuade conversions. It also refers to the deployment of religious teachers in schools in Ismaili areas and the construction or reopening of mosques in their communities.
Sources told Afghanistan International that Taliban morality police in Badakhshan are forcing people to convert through intimidation.
Earlier this year, the UN mission in Afghanistan reported that the Taliban had compelled more than 50 Ismailis to convert to Sunni Islam in the first three months of 2025.
At the same time, local sources said two Ismailis were wounded on Tuesday evening after being shot by unidentified gunmen in the city of Faizabad.
In the Taliban’s criminal courts code, a copy of which was recently obtained by Afghanistan International, followers of the Hanafi school are recognised as Muslims, while followers of other sects are described as deviant.
Recently, the Taliban’s minister for the propagation of virtue claimed during a meeting with Ismaili representatives that their rights are protected in Afghanistan. The Taliban said the meeting was intended to improve coordination, hear concerns and cooperate on religious outreach.
