Steady Decline in Religious Freedom Under Taliban Rule, U.S. Watchdog Reports
A recent report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) highlights a significant decline in religious freedom in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021.
According to an article published yesterday by VOA, the US agency underscores the Taliban’s repressive measures against any actions or beliefs that deviate from their strict interpretation of Islam.
The report reveals that Taliban authorities have silenced religious clerics, restricted religious minorities from observing their ceremonies, and imposed severe limitations on the movement and education of Afghan women and girls. The use of corporal and capital punishment has resurfaced, with reports of public executions, lashings, and other forms of brutal punishment for perceived violations of Sharia law. Nearly 600 individuals, including women, have been publicly flogged since the Taliban regained power.
On August 7, 2024, the Taliban’s Supreme Court announced the public flogging of a man and a woman in Kabul for an “illicit relationship,” with the woman receiving 32 lashes and the man 39. This incident is part of a broader trend, as over 63 people were flogged in June alone for offenses including homosexuality and adultery.
The Taliban’s oppressive regime has rendered Afghanistan the only country globally that prohibits girls aged 12 and older from attending secondary school, while female students remain barred from universities. Most Afghan women are also prohibited from working in both public and private sectors.
In light of these severe violations, the USCIRF has recommended that the U.S. designate Taliban-run Afghanistan as a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act and impose targeted sanctions on Taliban officials. Despite international condemnation, the Taliban dismisses allegations of human rights abuses as propaganda, asserting that women’s rights are upheld under Islamic principles.
