Tehran-IRAF- Citing Afghan news sources, Habatullah Akhundzadeh has approved this new law.
The law consists of two chapters and 17 articles and is aimed at organizing preaching activities and establishing clear regulations for religious preachers.
Under this law, responsibility for overseeing and regulating the affairs of preachers has been assigned to the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Article 6 of the law states that a preacher must be a Muslim and a follower of the Hanafi school of thought.
Article 10 further emphasizes that religious outreach activities must be carried out based on Hanafi jurisprudence. If non-Hanafi individuals are present, preachers are prohibited from conducting preaching programs.
Another section of the law stresses that preachers must follow the leadership of the Taliban and are required to emphasize obedience to Hibatullah Akhundzada in their speeches and programs.
The new law also specifies the permitted tools for religious preaching.
According to Article 9, the use of visual media for preaching is prohibited, and preachers are only allowed to use radio, books, magazines, and similar means.
All Taliban laws and decrees are issued based on Hanafi jurisprudence.
However, Afghanistan is a religiously diverse country, and followers of other sects such as Twelver Shiism and Ismailism also live there.
In recent years, there have been reports of restrictions or pressures on some followers of non-Hanafi sects.
For example, earlier this year, the Taliban’s Council of Scholars in Badakhshan issued an official letter stating that followers of the Ismaili sect would receive financial and security benefits if they converted to Sunni Islam.
Some local sources have also reported that, in certain cases, Taliban members have encouraged or urged Ismailis to change their sect.
Nevertheless, the Taliban has consistently stated that its policies are aimed at promoting religious unity and social cohesion.
