RASC News Agency: A recent investigative report by RASC News Agency reveals that the majority of mosque imams across Kabul and other provinces are either directly affiliated with Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban’s supreme leader, or are operating under immense pressure to conform to the group’s ideological doctrine. Based on interviews with several mosque leaders and parents of students, the findings indicate that mosque pulpits have been systematically repurposed into Taliban propaganda platforms. Friday sermons and even daily prayers now serve as conduits for the dissemination of extremist narratives, the legitimization of the Taliban’s ethno-political dominance, and, in some instances, the incitement of violence.
Credible sources confirm that all mosque imams are subject to strict Taliban surveillance, with their sermons meticulously scrutinized. Reports indicate that imams have been explicitly instructed to mention Mullah Hibatullah’s name in every Friday sermon and to propagate his messages. One imam, speaking to RASC News Agency on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, disclosed:
“We have been ordered to invoke Hibatullah’s name in every sermon. Failure to comply carries severe consequences. Several of my colleagues who defied this directive have either been removed from their positions or subjected to serious threats.”
Instances have been reported where imams who resisted Taliban-imposed narratives were publicly humiliated, forcibly removed from their pulpits, and subjected to harsh interrogations before their congregations. What exacerbates the situation further is the alarming transformation of mosques from centers of religious scholarship into breeding grounds for militant indoctrination. Field reports reveal that children attending mosques for religious education are, in reality, being systematically exposed to Taliban ideological conditioning.
A well-placed source, who requested anonymity, informed RASC News Agency:
“Religious instruction is no longer confined to the Quran and Hadith. Instead, it is deliberately structured to mentally and emotionally prime children for war and violence. Many mosques now teach that they must prepare for ‘jihad’ and that obedience to the Taliban is tantamount to obedience to God.” These revelations have sparked profound concerns among parents. Many who initially enrolled their children in mosques for religious instruction now report disturbing behavioral shifts upon their return home.
One father, who had sent his son to a Kabul mosque, expressed his distress:
“When I enrolled my son in religious studies, I expected him to receive a balanced Islamic education. Yet, within months, his demeanor transformed entirely. He no longer interacted with us as he once did. He began questioning our faith, accusing us of spiritual weakness, and even insinuating that I was not a true Muslim. He spoke incessantly of war, jihad, and martyrdom, claiming that the Taliban were the rightful representatives of Islam.”
A mother from Takhar province recounted a similar ordeal:
“My 10-year-old son, after just a few months of attending religious classes at the mosque, began insisting that listening to music is sinful, that women must never leave the house without a male guardian, and that anyone who does not abide by Taliban decrees is an infidel. These are not values we instilled in him he learned them at the mosque.” Some parents report that their children, under the influence of mosque teachings, have gone so far as to insult or threaten family members, warning them that failing to conform to Taliban ideology would seal their fate in the afterlife.
The Taliban’s growing stranglehold on religious institutions and their strategic use of mosques as ideological fortresses represent an existential threat to Afghanistan’s future. This calculated manipulation not only accelerates the spread of extremist ideology but also risks cultivating an entire generation indoctrinated into radicalism and conflict. Religious and social experts warn that if this trajectory remains unchallenged, Afghanistan will witness the deepening entrenchment of extremist thought within its social fabric an outcome with devastating long-term ramifications for both national stability and regional security.
While Taliban officials publicly claim that their ideology is not enforced through coercion, firsthand testimonies and field reports paint an entirely different picture inside the nation’s mosques. The systematic suppression of independent clerics, the propagation of violence-centered doctrines, and the exploitation of religious institutions for political consolidation are developments that could push Afghanistan toward an even more precarious future.
