AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): In recent days, coinciding with the beginning of the month of Muharram, numerous reports from the provinces of Kabul, Ghazni, Herat, and other regions of Afghanistan indicate that Taliban forces, with humiliating treatment, have collected and in some cases torn down flags and symbols of mourning for Imam Hussein (a.s.) from homes, shops, and streets. This action has taken place in areas such as Dasht-e Barchi in Kabul, Hajj Qurban Town and the Jibraeel district in Herat, and Shiite-populated parts of Ghazni city.
According to local sources, Taliban vice and virtue officers have visited these areas at night or in the evenings and forced residents to take down the flags. In some cases, there have been reports of mistreatment, arrests, and even gunfire.
A resident of Hajj Qurban Town in the Shaidayi district of Herat wrote, “On Wednesday evening, Taliban officers came and forced us to take down the mourning flags. This was accompanied by humiliation and insults.”
In Kabul as well, a Shiite resident of Dasht-e Barchi recounted, “On the second night of Muharram, a Taliban security officer came to the area, pulled down the flags from the shops, tore them, and took them away with disrespect.”
Social media users also showed widespread reactions. One user wrote on X, “The Taliban have forcibly collected Muharram mourning flags from people in Herat.” Another added, “In Ghazni and Herat, they are tearing down the flags of Hussein; this means the continuation of the policy of discrimination and suppression of Shiites.” Another said today, “We had installed two flags on the house, but officers this morning forced us to take them down.”
A citizen of Herat had commented, “This is an insult to the beliefs of millions of Shiite Muslims. The Taliban promise unity, but in practice they target our mourning.”
A video has also been circulated on Instagram from the city of Bamyan, showing a number of Shiite youths installing a large flag on top of a mountain, and in the next post, it shows individuals tearing down the flag, setting it on fire, and throwing it down the mountain. However, in this video, no mention is made of the Taliban or government officers, and it is unclear who set the flag on fire.
These restrictions come despite the fact that the Shiite Scholars Council of Afghanistan had previously asked the Taliban to provide security for the Muharram ceremonies. Activists and citizens consider these actions a violation of religious freedom and a humiliation of the Shiite minority, and see them as contradicting the initial promises of the ruling group.
These events have sparked a wave of anger and concern among the Shiites of Afghanistan and have ignited extensive debates on social media.
It is noteworthy that this is the fifth consecutive Muharram in which the Taliban have ruled Afghanistan. Since the very first year, which coincided with the days of Muharram, the forces of this group took action to pull down the mourning flags of Imam Hussein (a.s.) in some areas, and this trend has continued in subsequent years. The Taliban's primary justification for this action has been stated as "ensuring security." However, the people and Shiite scholars have repeatedly raised the question of what security risk the installation of a mourning flag on homes, shops, or public places essentially poses that would justify such treatment.
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