U.S. Department
of State Human Rights Report 1998
Freedom of religion is restricted
severely, and Taliban members vigorously enforced their interpretation
of Islamic law. Afghanistan's official name, according to both the Taliban
(Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) and the Northern Alliance (the Islamic
State of Afghanistan), reflects the desire of the factions to promote
Islam as a state religion. Some 85 percent of the population is Sunni
Muslim, and Shi'a Muslims constitute most of the remainder. The Hazara
ethnic group is predominantly Shi'a; Shi'as are among the most economically
disadvantaged persons in the country. The Shi'a minority want a national
government to give them equal rights as citizens. There are reports
that the Taliban have occupied and "cleaned" Shi'a mosques
for the use of Sunnis.
The Taliban sought to impose their extreme interpretation of Islamic
observance in areas that they control. 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 with severe beatings.
Members of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtues and Suppression
of Vice, which was raised to the status of a ministry in May, regularly
check passersby to see that men's beards and apparel meet Taliban requirements,
to ensure that women are dressed in strict traditional Talibanapproved
garb, and to ascertain that women are not in the company of men who
are unrelated to them (see Section 5). There were reports that the PVSV
members in Kabul stopped persons on the street and quizzed them to determine
if they knew how to recite various Koranic prayers. According to regulations,
a man who has shaved or cut his beard may be imprisoned. Beards must
protrude farther than would a fist clamped at the base of the chin.
Several civil service employees reportedly were fired in 1997 for cutting
their beards. All students at Kabul University are reportedly required
to have beards in order to study there (no female students are allowed).
There also are credible reports that Taliban members gave forced haircuts
to males in Kabul. Enforcement of Taliban social strictures is much
stricter in the cities, especially Kabul. The Taliban have declared
that all Muslims must abide by the Taliban's interpretation of Islamic
law.
The small number of nonMuslim residents in Afghanistan may practice
their faith, but may not proselytize. Almost all of the country's small
Hindu and Sikh population, which once numbered about 50,000, has emigrated
or taken refuge abroad. There were reports that Hindus are now required
to wear a piece of yellow cloth attached to their clothing to identify
their religious identity; Sikhs reportedly were required to wear some
form of identification as well. This rule allegedly was imposed to spare
non-Muslims from the enforcement of rules that are mandatory for Muslims
and from harassment by the PVSV.
In November Taliban officials accepted responsibility for the defacing
of one of two historic statues of Buddha near Bamiyan during their takeover
of that city in August. The Taliban claimed that the vandalism was the
result of an unauthorized act by one of their soldiers, and that the
statutes were being protected by the Taliban from further harm. In 1997,
there was a report that a Christian church in Kabul was taken over by
Taliban authorities and turned into a mosque. Some Taliban leaders claimed
tolerance of religious minorities, although there reportedly have been
restrictions imposed upon Shi'a Muslims in Talibancontrolled territory,
though not on a uniform basis.
Source: Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices for 1998, U.S. Department of State.
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