Taliban Prevent Shia Mourning Ceremony in Qarabagh District of Ghazni Province

Taliban Prevent Shia Mourning Ceremony in Qarabagh District of Ghazni Province
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Local sources in Afghanistan reported that Taliban members prevented a Shia mourning ceremony from being held in Qala Shahi village in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni province, coinciding with Shia Muslims’ commemoration of Ashura and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, peace be upon him.

According to Afghan media citing local sources, Taliban members raided the mourning ceremony in the village and stopped residents from holding it. They also instructed people not to take part in distributing votive food linked to the religious occasion.

The sources said Taliban members had disrupted Shia mourning ceremonies in the area for three consecutive days. During the Ashura ceremony, they reportedly forced participants out of the mosque and closed its gate.

The sources added that Taliban officials took several elderly residents to the district center and pressured local people in an attempt to prevent them from holding Husseini mourning ceremonies normally.

The developments come amid growing reports of restrictions on Shia mourning rituals during Muharram in several parts of Afghanistan, raising concerns over increasing pressure on religious freedoms and sectarian rituals in the country.