From the Ministry of Higher Education to the Justice System; the Sword of Takfir Raised Against Critics of the Regulation.
Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the Taliban’s Minister of Higher Education, launched an unprecedented attack on critics of the “Penal Regulation of Taliban Courts,” labeling them “absolute infidels” and effectively declaring any opposition to the controversial document outside the boundaries of religion.
The Taliban Ministry of Higher Education stated that these remarks were made on Saturday, 31 January 2026, during Nadeem’s speech at a religious center in Paktia Province.
In his speech, Nadeem rejected all criticism and emphasized that the Taliban draft their laws not based on human rights or international standards, but solely on their own interpretation of Islamic Sharia.
He claimed that strictness and violence are not “oppression” but a “religious command,” and asserted that the Taliban have no obligation to respond to critics of these laws.
This stance comes as the Taliban Ministry of Justice had previously warned that critics of the group’s laws would be considered criminals and subjected to judicial prosecution.
The “Penal Regulation of Taliban Courts,” by recognizing slavery, enforcing class-based segregation of society, and legitimizing harsh punishments, has been described by human rights organizations as an official document for the repression of religious minorities and a framework for the physical elimination of opponents.
