Taliban Detain Shia Cleric in Herat Over “Ziyarah al-Ashura” Prayer Book

Taliban Detain Shia Cleric in Herat Over “Ziyarah al-Ashura” Prayer Book
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A Shia cleric, Gholam-Hossein Fasihi, has been detained by the Taliban’s “Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice” in the city of Herat, Shia Waves Persian reported. Fasihi, who serves as the Imam of the Khadijah Kubra Mosque, was arrested without a judicial warrant.

According to the report, the detention occurred because Fasihi was found to be in possession of Shia prayer books, including “Ziyarah al-Ashura,” within the mosque. Local sources claim that the Taliban asserted that only the Quran should be kept in mosques.

The arrest has reportedly sparked outrage among local Shia communities, who consider the action to be part of a targeted campaign by the Taliban to suppress religious freedoms for Shias in Afghanistan.