Status of religious freedom in Afghanistan
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Under the rule of the Taliban Islamist Muslim government, the freedom to choose and openly practice ones own religion did not exist in Afghanistan.
The freedom to choose ones own beliefs and practice them was not well defined in Afghanistan prior to the Taliban as the ongoing civil war and the absence of a constitution caused a situation whereby the policies controlling a place at a certain time were dependant on the faction holding the location at the time.
In 1999 the Taliban, an ultraconservative Islamic movement that controlled approximately 90 percent of the country, wrote a new constitution based on their interpretation of Sharia.
As part of this constitution, Atheism was punishable by death. Apostsy which was defined to include conversion to another faith such as Judaism or Christianity was also punishable by death.
The Taliban imposed its interpretation of Islamic observance in areas that it controlled. It declared that all Muslims in areas under Taliban control must abide by the Taliban interpretation of Islamic law. Enforcement of such laws was by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV). One of their duties was to operate a body of religious police who enforced edicts on dress code, employment, access to medical care, behavior, religious practice, and expression. Persons found to be in violation of the edict were subject to punishment meted out on the spot, which icnluded beatings and detention.
The policies of the Taliban and certain other groups did not only affect those who were not Muslim but also had an adverse affect on adherents of other branches of Islam.
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Religious demography
Afghanistan is a landlocked nation covering an area of 251,738 square miles (647,500 km²). In July of 2004 it was estimated to have a population of 28.5 million people. Reliable demographic data including that of religious demography is not readily available.
It is claimed by some observers that 85 percent of the population are Sunni Muslim; most of the remaining 15 percent are Shi'a Muslim.
Traditionally, Sunni Islam of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence has been the dominant flavour of Islam in Afghanistan. This school counts the Taliban among its followers. The Deoband madrassa (religious school) near Delhi, India, has been a source of influence for these Sunni for approximately 200 years. Most of the Taliban leadership attended Deobandi-influenced seminaries in Pakistan. The Deoband school has long sought to "purify" Islam by discarding supposedly un-Islamic accretions to the faith and reemphasizing the models established in the Qur'an and Hadith. Deobandi scholars often have opposed what they perceive as Western influences. Much of the population adheres to Deobandi-influenced Hanafi Sunnism, but a sizable minority adheres to a more mystical version of Hanafi Sunnism generally known as Sufism. Sufism centers on orders or brotherhoods that follow charismatic religious leaders.
The Shi'a, under the Taliban, were among the most economically disadvantaged group in the country. An ethnic group known as the Hazara is predominantly Shi'a Muslim. The Shi'a minority wants a national government that would give them equal rights as citizens. There also are small numbers of Ismailis living in the central and northern parts of the country. Ismailis are Shi'a Muslims, but consider the Aga Khan their spiritual leader.
In the past, small communities of Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, and Christians lived in the country; however, most members of these communities have left. Even at their peak, these non-Muslim minorities constituted only 1 percent of the population. Almost all members of the country's small Hindu and Sikh population, which once numbered about 50,000 persons, have emigrated or taken refuge abroad. Non-Muslims such as Hindus and Sikhs now number only in the hundreds, often working as traders. The few Christians and Jews who live in the country are mostly foreigners who are in the country to carry-out relief work on behalf of foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGO's).
Status of religious freedom under the Taliban
When it was in power, the Pashtun-dominated Taliban vigorously enforced its interpretation of Islamic law.
Discrimination against Hindus
In May 2001, according to news reports, the Taliban considered an edict requiring Hindus to wear identifying badges on their clothing. On May 23, 2001, Taliban radio announced that the edict was approved by religious officials. However, Mullah Omar reportedly did not sign the edict and it was not implemented by the Taliban.
The Taliban view was that the proposed edict would protect Hindu citizens from harassment by members of the religious police. International observers regarded the proposed edict as part of the Taliban's efforts to segregate and isolate non-Muslim citizens, and to encourage more Hindu emigration. The reaction of Hindu citizens reportedly ranged from indifference to outrage.
Discrimination against non-Muslims
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), in September 1999, the Taliban issued decrees that forbade non-Muslims from building places of worship but allowed them to worship at existing holy sites, forbade non-Muslims from criticizing Muslims, ordered non-Muslims to identify their houses by placing a yellow cloth on their rooftops, forbade non-Muslims from living in the same residence as Muslims, and required that non-Muslim women wear a yellow dress with a special mark so that Muslims could keep their distance.
Freedom to proselytize
A small number of foreign Christian groups were allowed in the country to provide humanitarian assistance; however, they were forbidden by the Taliban to proselytize.
According to a decree issued in June 2001, proselytizing by non-Muslims is prohibited, and is punishable by death or deportation in the case of foreigners. Taliban officials subsequently stated that the decree was only a guideline.
On August 3, 2001 Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer were arrested by the Taliban along with 22 others for their work with Shelter Now, a Christian aid organization based in Germany. The Taliban also seized Bibles and videos and audio tapes from the members of the group. The workers were tried for violating the Taliban prohibition against proselytizing. On November 15, 2001 Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer were freed by Operation Enduring Freedom forces, after the Taliban had fled Kabul.
Freedom to choose a religion
Conversion from Islam is considered apostasy and is punishable by death.
Freedom of speech, including on religious matters
The Taliban does not encourage free speech about religious issues or discussions that challenge orthodox Sunni Muslim views. Publishing and distribution of literature of any kind, including religious material, is rare. The Taliban continues to prohibit music, movies, and television on religious grounds in Taliban-controlled areas. In 1998 television sets, videocassette recorders, videocassettes, audiocassettes, and satellite dishes were outlawed in order to enforce the prohibition. However, subsequent reports indicate that many persons in urban areas around the country own such electronic devices despite the ban.
Freedom to practice a religion
Prayer is mandatory for all, and those who are observed not praying at appointed times or who are late attending prayer are subject to punishment, including severe beatings. There were reports in 1998 that PVPV members in Kabul stopped persons on the street and demanded that they recite various Koranic prayers in order to determine the extent of their religious knowledge.
The Bamiyan Buddhas
In March 2001, the Taliban destroyed two giant pre-Islamic Buddha statues carved into cliffs in Bamiyan province, on the grounds that statues are idolatrous and insulting to Islam. The Taliban destroyed the 2,000-year-old statues despite appeals from the United Nations, international NGO's, and the world community, including many Muslim countries.
Discrimination against Hazara Shia Muslims
Repression by the Taliban of the Hazara ethnic group, which is predominantly Shia Muslim, was particularly severe. Although the conflict between the Hazaras and the Taliban was political and military as well as religious, and it is not possible to state with certainty that the Taliban engaged in its campaign against the Shi'a solely because of their religious beliefs, the religious affiliation of the Hazaras apparently was a significant factor leading to their repression.
The Taliban have been accused of committing mass killings of the Hazaras particularly in the north. It has been claimed that the Taliban massacred thousands of civilians and prisoners during and after the capture of Mazar-i-Sharif in August 1998; this massacre reportedly was aimed at ethnic Hazaras. In September 1998, approximately 500 persons were killed as the Taliban gained control of the city of Bamiyan. The Hazaras regained control of Bamiyan in April 1999 following prolonged guerilla-style warfare; however, the Taliban recaptured Bamiyan in May 1999 and reportedly killed a number of Shi'a residents.
In January 2001, several NGO's reported that the Taliban massacred several hundred Shi'a civilians in Yakaolang in the center of the country. The massacre reportedly occurred after the Taliban recaptured the area from opposition forces. According to witnesses interviewed by HRW, after the Taliban recaptured the area, they rounded up victims from the surrounding villages, and shot or stabbed them with bayonets in the town center.
Besides claims of genocide, there are claims of forced expulsions of ethnic Hazaras and Tajiks from areas controlled or conquered by the Taliban, as well as harassment of these minorities throughout Taliban-controlled areas.
Current status
Currently under the Afghan constitution, persons are free to choose their religion provided adherents remain in accordance with the laws of Islam, and proselytism by non-muslims is still prohibited.