As pressure grow on religious freedoms in Afghanistan, students at several universities say the Taliban are carrying out organised efforts to enforce religious conformity on campuses.
Students at Bamiyan and Kandahar universities told Afghanistan International that the Taliban are using seminars and coordinated campaigns to pressure students to change their religious beliefs.
Observers say these measures are part of a broader effort to eliminate religious diversity in Afghanistan.
One student at Kandahar University said Taliban officials openly declared Shiites as infidels during an official seminar on Wednesday, April 15.
According to the student, the event, rather than promoting tolerance, included insulting and divisive remarks.
He stressed that Shiites and Sunnis have lived together in Afghanistan for centuries, but current Taliban policies are increasing mistrust and deepening sectarian divisions. He called on Taliban authorities to approach religious issues with “care, fairness and responsibility” and avoid actions that fuel division.
At the same time, a Bamiyan University student shared a document with Afghanistan International showing that students were required to sign written pledges to follow Sunni Islam in order to preserve “unity”. The document emphasised adherence to the Hanafi school associated with Imam Abu Hanifa as a basis for national unity.
Another student, sharing a video, said the Taliban are requiring students at Kabul University of Education to sign written commitments to grow beards and wear caps, in line with the group’s rules.
The Taliban have reportedly distributed such documents at several universities and are requiring students to sign them.
Similar reports had earlier emerged from Balkh University, where students said the Taliban issued a 14-point document obliging them to change religious affiliation, follow specific dress codes, grow beards and comply with strict social regulations.
Clause six of the document lists adherence to the Hanafi school as a condition for “unity and cohesion”.
These measures come as the Taliban, since returning to power, have removed official recognition of the Jaafari school and abolished laws related to Shia personal status. The group follows the Hanafi school and has emphasised religious uniformity.
Noorullah Noori, the Taliban’s minister for borders and tribal affairs, said on Thursday at a meeting in Jawzjan province that it is a positive development that one religious school now prevails in Afghanistan.
Reports also indicate that the trend is not limited to universities. In Badakhshan, the Taliban council of religious scholars announced that Ismaili followers who convert would receive financial incentives and protection.
According to a recent report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan’s human rights section, at least 50 Ismailis in Badakhshan were forcibly converted to Sunni Islam between 17 January and 3 February this year.
Alongside pressure to convert, targeted attacks against Shiites have continued. In a recent incident, gunmen attacked a gathering of Shiites in Injil district of Herat province, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens.
International organisations have warned that religious freedoms in Afghanistan have been severely restricted under Taliban rule and that the situation of religious minorities is increasingly worsening.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom last year urged the US president and secretary of state to designate Afghanistan as a “country of particular concern”. Stephen Schneck, a commissioner, told Afghanistan International that such a designation could pave the way for broader sanctions against the Taliban.
He added that the Taliban’s criminal code is a matter of “deep concern”, threatening religious freedom and human rights, as it recognises only the group’s interpretation of the Hanafi school and marginalises other faiths and sects.
