Almost exactly three years after the withdrawal of western forces allowed the Taliban to seize control of Kabul, the Taliban have issued a new law on the “propagation of virtue and prevention of vice”. This gives wide ranging and intrusive powers to its religious police – the Muhtaseeb, which even before the Taliban takeover were commonly referred to by many Afghans in hushed, fearful tones as “vice and virtue”.

The decree, which was promulgated by the Taliban Supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada on 21 August states that it applies to all individuals living in Afghanistan, including children and foreigners – with no exceptions. 

Enforced Islamic worship

The new law makes it a criminal offence for anyone not to take part to the daily Islamic prayers - with no exceptions:

 “The Muhtaseeb is responsible for ensuring that merchants, shopkeepers, and farmers adhere to specific obligations, such as participating in congregational prayers at the mosque at designated times…”(Article 18)

This is enforced in every area of life – with even those in charge of recreational and tourist spots now required to build mosques and

“ensure visitors attend congregational prayers in the mosque” (Article 19)

And just in case anyone missed the point, Article 26 states:

“If a person repeatedly neglects prayers and religious obligations without a legitimate excuse; if a person repeatedly misses congregational prayers without a valid reason…if a person does not fast without a justified excuse…if someone fails to perform required virtuous acts or avoid prohibited vices,”

The Muhtaseeb are to ensure they are dealt with by the Taliban shari’a courts.

All non-Islamic actions are now banned

Article 22 states that any

“resemblance in appearance and conduct to non-Muslims is impermissible”.

What this means in practice is a requirement that every area of life, down to the minutest details, must be lived according to the sunna – the example of what Muhammad said and did. All other actions are forbidden. These include:

Non-Islamic festivals banned

This even includes Nao Ruz – Persian new year – which has for centuries been a hugely important part of Afghan culture. Afghanistan therefore joins that small list of countries which have specifically banned Christian festivals.

Christian symbolism banned

Any hint of Christian symbolism is also banned – to the extent that even neckties are now prohibited as they may give the appearance of a cross.

Contact with non-Muslims banned

The new law also prohibits friendship with “infidels” i.e. non-Muslims and this is to be policed by the Muhtaseeb.  It even requires all women to veil themselves in the presence of non-Muslim women.

Listening to non-Islamic Media banned

Article 9 requires the Muhtaseeb to prevent

“the misuse of tape recorders, radios, and similar items, and the storage and viewing of photos and videos of living beings on computers, mobile phones, and similar devices.”

While article 17 prohibits any media content which conflicts with the teaching of shari’a.

Enforcement

The Muhtaseeb have now been given wide-ranging and intrusive powers to check people’s phones and computers for anything deemed incompatible with Islam and to enter people’s homes to enforce this. They are even responsible for ensuring that children do not commit “public sins”.

The new law gives discretionary powers to the Muhtaseeb including arbitrary arrest and on-the-spot seizure of property. In theory they are required to first:

“advise, frighten, threaten with harsh words, and impose punishment by confiscation of property”.

However, Article 24 says they may also decree on the spot imprisonment for up to 24 hours without involving a court.

What this means for Afghan Christians

So, not only are all forms of Christian worship and practice banned, but Islamic worship is now compulsory five times a day – and in fact, the whole of life must now be lived in an “Islamic manner” – with anything “non-Islamic” – or even with the appearance of being non-Islamic, now banned.

This puts Afghan Christians in an impossible position. The little information we have which has emerged from the country suggests they are living in fear of their lives, moving from place to place. If they are caught outside during one of the five daily times of prayer – they must choose to declare their faith – and risk the shari’a penalty of execution for apostasy; or compromise their faith by reciting the Islamic prayers which declare Muhammad to be the prophet of God, thereby implicitly affirming the teaching of the Qur’an that Jesus is not God and did not die on the cross and is not even the greatest of the prophets – all central aspects of the Christian faith.

It is illegal for parents to teach their children about their faith and the legal remit of the Muhtaseeb now specifically extends to children.

Moreover, it is now specifically illegal not just to listen to Christian radio, but to have any contact with Christians outside Afghanistan – with the Muhtaseeb now having the authority to enter houses and check computers and phones. 

Afghan Christians therefore do not have ANY of the 10 aspects of freedom of religion by which the Lindisfarne Centre assesses each country.

In short, it puts Afghan Christians in a position not dissimilar to that of Jews living in countries such as France and the Netherlands under Nazi occupation - hiding in other people’s houses, unable to venture out, fearful that every knock on the door may lead to their arrest and execution.

Afghanistan is now a totalitarian Islamist state

Very little information gets out of Afghanistan these days, a situation which will now become worse as, at the same time as issuing the new law the Taliban banned Richard Bennett, the UN Human Right’s Council’s Special Rapporteur from entering the country - accusing him of “spreading propaganda”.

 The UN Assistance Mission has just produced a report on human rights in Afghanistan for April-June 2024, although this is only six pages long and contains no reference at all to any religious minorities in Afghanistan. It does, however, report a number of documented cases of arbitrary arrest, torture and killing of Afghans who had been returned following Pakistan’s expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees which began in Autumn 2023.

As the Lindisfarne Centre warned in February – sending  thousands of Afghan Christians back to Afghanistan – not just those who fled the Taliban takeover, but also those who had lived in Pakistan for many years - was effectively a death sentence for them.

Future risk

The greatest risk to Afghan Christians has always been extrajudicial killings, either so-called “honour killings” by family members, or by agents of the state such as the Muhtaseeb. However, western government should note that while as yet, we have no verified accounts of judicial executions of Afghan Christians, the latest UN report cited an interview with the deputy director of the Afghan prison administration, who stated that there were currently up to 600 prisoners in Afghan prisons who had been judicially sentenced to death. 

As such, the Lindisfarne Centre judges there to be a significant risk that Afghan Christians will in the near future face judicial execution for their faith.

See also the Lindisfarne Centre’s updated Afghanistan profile

Please pray for Christian families in Afghanistan who live in daily fear of their lives