AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The clergy of the Khatam al-Nabiyyin (p.b.u.h) Seminary in Kabul, in a meeting with a representative of the Taliban Ministry of Justice, protested the continued closure of the mosque, school, and library of this complex and demanded their immediate reopening.
According to sources close to the matter, an individual named Mullah Danishyar, a member of the "Technical Commission" of the Taliban Ministry of Justice, visited Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary on the ministry's orders and once again raised the issue of evacuating this religious and educational center.
His presence was met with protests from the students, a number of whom directly shared their grievances with him.
The students told the representative of the Ministry of Justice, "Are we not children of this same land and homeland? What is our sin that you have closed the doors of our mosque and religious school to us, and now for two months we have been studying in the open air under the scorching sun?"
They also asked, "Is teaching and learning a crime that you have closed our school and library? Is praying in the mosque forbidden that you have closed the gates of the Khatam al-Nabiyyin mosque to us? Do we Shias not have the right to a school and a mosque?"
The students asked Mullah Danishyar to convey these protests and the request for the seminary's reopening to the Taliban Minister of Justice.
Nearly Two Months Since the Seminary's Closure
The Taliban Ministry of Justice closed the main sections of the Khatam al-Nabiyyin (p.b.u.h.) Seminary on June 25, 2026. The board of trustees of this center announced at the time that the mosque, husseiniya, library, and men's and women's religious schools of the complex had been sealed.
This action took place in the days leading up to Ashura and only a short time after the suspension of the activities of Tamaddon Television, another important Shia institution in Afghanistan, and drew widespread reactions from the Shia community.
The Shia Ulema Council of Afghanistan also at that time expressed concern over the closure of the Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary, restrictions on Muharram symbols, and the arrest of a number of officials of Shia mosques and husseiniyas, and called for the reopening of this center.
Disagreement Over Ownership and Legal Status of the Seminary
The Taliban Ministry of Justice had previously claimed that the Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary, Khatam al-Nabiyyin University, and Tamaddon Television were affiliated with a political party, and that part of the complex had been built on government land.
Officials of these centers have rejected these claims. The board of trustees of the seminary, at the time of the closure, had announced that the disputed case was still being reviewed in a special court, and that at the time of the sealing, no final and definitive ruling had been issued by the judicial authority.
Sources close to the Khatam al-Nabiyyin complex have also said that the land for this center was allocated as a public utility during the previous government and that legal documents exist for it. They have also denied the seminary's affiliation with the Harakat-e-Islami party.
Continued Uncertainty Over One of the Most Important Shia Religious Centers
The Khatam al-Nabiyyin (p.b.u.h) Seminary is one of the most recognized religious and scientific centers of Shias in Kabul, and in addition to the religious school, it also includes a mosque, husseiniya, and library.
Nearly two months after the closure of the main sections of this complex, according to the students' account, their classes have still not returned to normal, and a number of students have been forced to continue their studies in the open air.
As of the time of this report, the Taliban Ministry of Justice has not issued any new public explanation regarding the students' latest request for the seminary's reopening or the outcome of Mullah Danishyar's visit.
The students' protest ultimately raises a question that goes beyond the dispute over land or the management of an institution: if the Taliban claims to guarantee the religious rights of all Afghan citizens, why must one of the most important Shia educational and worship centers remain closed for weeks, and why must its students demand their right to education and prayer in their own mosque?
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