RASC: Following the imposition of restrictions by the Taliban group on the organizers of the Muharram ceremony, Atta Mohammad Noor, the head of the branch of Jamiat-e-Islami party, said that these restrictions will increase the range of ethnic and religious tensions in the country.
0n Saturday, July 22, Mr. Noor, in a tweet, called Afghanistan a country with social and religious diversity and said, “Our people have lived together with the same texture and deep ties.”
Mr. Noor wrote in this tweet: “Putting restrictions on religious ceremonies is an indication of petrification and is rooted in monopolistic, oppressive and exclusionary thinking.”
He said that the Ashura ceremony is a “great lesson of freedom and struggle for justice for Shiites and Sunnis” and should be respected.
With the arrival of the month of Muharram, the spokesperson of the Taliban group said that due to security and more precautionary measures, large gatherings and group travel have been limited.
It should be noted that the Taliban group has prevented the installation of Muharram flags in Kabul city and has limited the number of mosques to hold Muharram ceremonies under the guise of providing security.
In the latest case, the Shia Scholars Council of Afghanistan has called for the lifting of restrictions and has expressed regret over the “violent encounter” of the Taliban group with Muharram mourners and the lowering of religious flags from shops and houses in some parts of Kabul.
Salehi Modares, the head of Afghanistan’s Shia Scholars Council, addressed the Taliban group in the extraordinary meeting of this council which was held on July 22 Saturday.
He emphasized that Imam Hussain is the axis of unity, in order to achieve a sustainable existence, holding mourning ceremonies should be free for people.
