The U.S. Congress: The Taliban have systematically violated religious freedom in Afghanistan.
24/08/2022
One year after the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, the U.S. Congress's *Commission on International Religious Freedom* released a new report stating that the state of religious freedom in the country has "deteriorated sharply." The report, published on Tuesday, August 23, highlights the systematic violation of religious freedom by the Taliban over the past year.
Reuters reported on Wednesday, August 24, that the review emphasizes how the Taliban's radical interpretation of Sunni Islam poses a serious threat to other religions in Afghanistan. The report indicates that the Taliban's violent actions against religious freedom, particularly affecting women, sexual and gender minorities, and those with different interpretations of Islam, have caused significant harm.
The commission's report notes that despite the Taliban's promises to protect all ethnic and religious minorities in Afghanistan, the group has failed to uphold these commitments and has severely violated religious freedom. Sikhs, Hindus, Ahmadis, Bahá'ís, Christian converts, Shia Muslims, especially the Hazara community, all face threats of persecution from the Taliban and ISIS.
According to the report, the Taliban and ISIS have jointly targeted Sufi sects in Afghanistan, which practice mystical Islam. Although many non-Muslims left Afghanistan during the Taliban's first rule (1996-2001), their return has put the remaining small religious minorities at risk of extinction.
Zabulon Simintov, the last Jewish resident of Afghanistan, who had refused to leave during the Soviet invasion, finally left the country in September 2021, one month after the Taliban regained control. Before leaving, Simintov remarked, "When NATO and the U.S. ousted the Taliban in 2001, I thought the situation in Afghanistan would improve." He expressed regret, saying, "I had hoped that Europeans and Americans would rebuild the country, but that didn't happen."