Taliban criminalize Sunni-Shia wedding sermons.
In Parwan province, a Taliban court has sentenced Parvez Gulbahari, a religious scholar from Gulbahar, to six months in prison.
Local sources say that the scholar was arrested two days ago for delivering a wedding sermon for a Sunni boy and a Shia Iranian girl.
According to sources, the marriage took place in the presence of families and official witnesses, but after the Taliban was informed, the officiant was immediately arrested.
This incident is the latest example of the Taliban’s strict policies against Shia followers.
Since taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have not only imposed extensive religious restrictions on Shiites, but have also arrested, forced to divorce, or imprisoned couples with religious differences after years of living together and having children.
The Taliban’s action in Parwan once again reveals the group’s discriminatory and exclusionary view of religious diversity in Afghanistan; An approach that has profound and worrying consequences both in the realm of individual rights and social coexistence.
