Monthly Afghanistan News Roundup – July 2023

Ozair Khan

Within the framework of the Fiqhi Pathways project implemented jointly by CPI-Geneva and the Swiss FDFA’s Peace and Human Rights Division, engagement with Deobandi scholars of or close to Taliban and Pakistan is pursued to promote governance in line with IHL and Islamic jurisprudence through Fiqhi dialogue exchanges. This monthly newsletter aims to keep track of the discussions and debates among scholars on issues of governance policies of the Taliban, especially in the areas of education, social policies, and statecraft and governance institutions.

Shia Minority in Afghanistan

July coincides with the Islamic month of Muharram, which is one of the holiest days for Shia Muslims. During this period, Shias organise large processions in which they beat themselves to commemorate the martyrdom of the grandson of Muhammad, who was killed on this day. The Taliban promised to provide security for the Shia as they were also citizens of Afghanistan. However, many Shias, including their leading scholars, complained about the restrictions imposed by the Taliban, such as cutting off telephone and internet access. [1] The Taliban responded that this was to ensure greater security. [2] Nevertheless, it has to be admitted that the Taliban were not as committed to protecting Shia citizens during their first period in power, and their apparent efforts to defend Shia citizens are seen as another sign of betrayal by the IS-K.

Competing Worldviews

A new wave of statements on the issue of girls’ education has highlighted the different worldviews within the ranks of the Islamic Emirate.

On the one hand, Sirajul Din Haqqani, the acting Minister of Interior, who has been critical of some of the leadership’s decisions in the past, has assured a group of religious scholars from Herat Province that ‘work is underway to find a reasonable solution for opening closed schools and universities for girls’. [3]

Abbas Stanikzai, the deputy foreign minister known for his open criticism of some of the leadership’s decisions, has also expressed his hope that “the gates of schools will be opened without discrimination for all Afghans”. [4]

Moreover, Abdul Salam Zaeef, one of the founding members of the Taliban and a former ambassador to Pakistan, reminded us that “no scholar in the world is against girls’ education”. [5]

But these encouraging statements are tempered by worrying statements from other Taliban officials. For example, the deputy for youth affairs, Mohammad Yunus Rashid, confused the right to study with the right to wear make-up and joke with strangers. He declared that the Islamic Emirate wouldn’t allow girls to go to school until they abandoned such aspirations and behaviour. Yunus Rashid went on to say that if they do, they will only be allowed to study the following subjects: medicine, religious studies, security such as policing, and training to become teachers. [6]

In a similarly worrying vein, Mohammad Hashim Shaheed Wror, Director General of the Directorate of Invitation and Guidance (an independent body that determines religious policy within the interim government), said that “modern education is not compulsory, but Islamic education is compulsory for both men and women”. [7]

Not surprisingly, the Taliban favour religious education over secular knowledge. Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Mawlawi Abdul Kabir said the Islamic Emirate was trying to give equal attention to secular and Islamic sciences, but that in the past 20 years “religion has not been a priority and the gap in religious sciences is huge”. He said the IEA wanted doctors and engineers who had a basic understanding of Islam as well as expertise. [8] This may be a valuable starting point for discussions with the Taliban. They will undoubtedly need expertise from perhaps other traditional Muslim societies that have faced the need to bridge traditional madrasa education with secular education, especially as the number of madrasas will only increase, as was announced a few weeks ago. Indeed, the Islamic Emirate hopes to open at least ten new madrasas in each district. [9] The Taliban will never abandon their focus on teaching the Koran and a particular vision of Islamic law, which is the foundation of their movement and, one might argue, their right. Internalising this information without necessarily agreeing with it, madrasa students will hopefully benefit from studying some secular subjects. A madrasa-educated student with an engineering degree can help rebuild Afghanistan.

Overall, the issue of education is overshadowed by the controversy over girls’ education. However, the question of how the Taliban will take charge of the wider education system needs to be examined in depth.

Both camps within the Taliban work from a Sharia-based perspective, but come to very different conclusions. The problem is that Hanafi law is a spectrum, so the Taliban’s policies will be unpredictable without a precise constitution that rigorously defines the decision-making mechanism. For example, Bilal Karimi, the deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, claimed that the Taliban supported freedom of speech and media as long as it was in accordance with Islamic law. But what is Islamic law and what is not? Does the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law allow criticism of the current regime’s policies?

Ambiguity on the International Scene

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister, has met a delegation of US diplomats in Qatar. This meeting is one of the most substantive and public dialogues between the two former belligerents since the Taliban seized power two years ago. As usual, the situation is highly ambiguous. When the meeting was announced, the US State Department made it clear that it wouldn’t recognise the Taliban. [10] As for the Islamic Emirate, many of its supporters were excited and saw the meeting as a new level of legitimacy. [11] According to reports, the discussion focused on ways to build trust and humanitarian issues. Members of the US delegation were criticised online, particularly Rina Amiri, a US special envoy for women’s rights. The source of criticism against her and the rest of the delegation is the official statement released after the meeting, which mentions the need for the US to engage with the Taliban. Opponents of the Taliban see this as a betrayal. [12] Nevertheless, engagement with the defacto Afghan regime is the most logical course of action. And it’s important to remember that engagement doesn’t necessarily mean recognition.

But the most striking example of ambivalence towards foreign actors is the Islamic Emirate’s relationship with Pakistan. In the middle of the month, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Asif Durrani, went to Kabul to meet with the Taliban authorities. It was reported that the Pakistani side would issue an ultimatum to the Taliban over their poor performance in dealing with the safe havens of armed groups. [13] However, the official reports of the meeting made no mention of this frustration. [14] But a few days later, the Taliban’s inability to control their territory was demonstrated by a suicide attack on a political rally in Bajaur, a Pakistani town on the border with Afghanistan. Bajaur is close to the Afghan province of Kunar, one of IS-K’s main strongholds. At least 54 people were killed in the bombing. The political party that was attacked is a religious party that follows the Deobandi school of thought: JUI-F (Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam). IS-K most likely targeted this particular political entity because of its support for the Taliban regime. Another possible explanation is that the JUI-F supports the current Pakistani government, so in the eyes of the IS-K, these Pakistani Deobandis support democracy. [15] This attack has forced Pakistani Deobandi preachers, who are normally sympathetic to the Taliban, to criticise them for failing to take action against armed groups. [16]

References

[1] https://www.afintl.com/en/202307269372
[2] https://kabulnow.com/2023/07/taliban-disconnects-telecommunications-in-western-kabul-on-ashura-day/
[3] https://twitter.com/TOLOnews/status/1684052430311284737
[4] https://aamajnews24.com/taliban-763/
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPz5M5wIK0w
[6] https://kabulnow.com/2023/07/no-rights-for-women-unless-they-conform-to-our-framework-taliban-official-says/
[7] https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-184370
[8] https://www.ariananews.af/kabir-says-iea-will-never-compromise-on-islamic-principles/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
[9] https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-secular-schools-converted-madrasahs-education/31914672.html
[10] https://www.state.gov/meeting-of-u-s-officials-with-taliban-representatives/
[11] https://twitter.com/AfghanAnalyst2/status/1684344194142203906
[12] https://kabulnow.com/2023/08/us-envoy-faces-backlash-over-direct-engagement-with-the-taliban/
[13] https://tribune.com.pk/story/2426793/pak-envoy-to-deliver-clear-message-to-kabul-on-ttp
[14] https://www.afintl.com/en/202307211640
[15] https://thekhorasandiary.com/2023/08/02/tkd-analysis-the-persistent-threat-of-islamic-state-khorasan-iskp-against-jamiat-e-ulema-e-islam-fazl-jui-f-in-bajaur-2/
[16] https://twitter.com/ZawiaNews/status/1685921337364111360