Taliban trying to convert Ismailis into Sunnis in Afghanistan

As restrictions and oppression of the Taliban group against the Shiites and ethnic groups in Afghanistan persists, the followers of the Ismaili religion in this country say they have not been spared either.

Residents of Badakhshan in northeastern Afghanistan report Taliban’s purposeful attempts to pressure this ethnic group in the past two years.

Knowledgeable sources in Badakhshan said in an interview with some local media that in Ashkashim city, where the population of Ismaili followers live, a Hanafi religious school has been established and boys and girls from Ismaili families have been recruited in these schools.

These sources also add that the Taliban have converted Panj Jamaat Khana (the place of worship for followers of the Ismaili religion) into a mosque, prohibiting them from worshiping in these places.

With the re-establishment of the Taliban group in Afghanistan, many restrictions have been established against the Shiites and followers of other non-Hanafi religions.

In the latest case, the mourning ceremony of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) in Afghanistan, which is commemorated by Shiites every year, met severe restrictions this year.

It should be noted that groups of Hosseini mourners were beaten and shot at in Kabul and Ghazni province.