RASC News Agency: Mohammad Thaqib, the Taliban’s Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, has announced an initiative to formalize unregistered mosques and places of worship across Afghanistan. He emphasized that the ministry aims to bolster religious values by increasing the number of mosque imams, muezzins, and custodians. On Wednesday, October 30, the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs released a statement detailing Thaqib’s separate meetings with Sunni and Shia clerics in Kabul. Photos shared by the ministry show that Mohammad Akbari, a member of Afghanistan’s Shia Ulema Council, was also present at the gathering.
Thaqib underscored the pivotal role of religious scholars in “guiding the people and promoting religious teachings.” He affirmed that the ministry is taking significant measures to construct, renovate, and formalize mosques, hussainiyas, and Sufi shrines across the country. “We are committed to formally registering all unrecognized mosques and places of worship,” he stated. “By increasing the positions of preachers, imams, muezzins, and custodians, we aim to create an infrastructure that robustly supports religious and moral values.”
These statements come in the wake of reports that, in September, the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice closed a Shia mosque in Kabul’s Darulaman area, citing state ownership of the land. Sources indicated that several worshippers who protested the closure were detained. Prior to this, the ministry had also issued orders to confiscate properties, including the grounds of Tamaddon TV, a Shia mosque, and Khatam al-Nabiyyin University on Darulaman Road, labeling them as unlawfully occupied.
