UNAMA: Taliban exert religious pressure on Ismailis in Badakhshan.
A new report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) states that the Taliban are pressuring members of the Ismaili community in a number of districts of Badakhshan province, including Nasi, Shaki and Mayimi, to convert to the Hanafi school of thought.
UNAMA reported that in Nasi district, adherence to the Sunni religion, especially the Hanafi school of thought, is a condition for receiving social assistance, and families face administrative and social problems if they do not comply.
According to the report, Ismaili families face heavy fines of 20,000 to 100,000 Afghanis if they refuse to register their children in Taliban-affiliated religious schools;
A move that the UN has deemed a violation of religious freedom and the fundamental rights of citizens.
