Calls Grow to Reopen Khatam al-Nabiyyin and Tamadon TV

DID Press: Shia Friday prayer leaders and worshippers in several Afghan provinces have called on the Taliban authorities to allow the reopening of the Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary and Tamadon TV, both of which were suspended nearly three weeks ago.

Petitions signed after Friday prayers in the provinces of Kabul, Kandahar, and Helmand urged the Taliban administration to facilitate the resumption of operations at the two religious and cultural institutions as soon as possible.

During their sermons, several Friday prayer leaders highlighted the educational, religious, and cultural significance of the Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary and Tamadon TV, expressing hope that the Taliban would permit their activities to resume in the public interest.

The Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary is one of Afghanistan’s leading Shia religious education centers, while Tamadon TV primarily serves the country’s Shia community. Both institutions were ordered to suspend operations about 20 days ago by the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice.

Following the closures, the Shia Ulema Council of Afghanistan and the management of the two institutions argued that the decision did not comply with the legal procedures outlined under the Taliban’s judicial regulations and said the matter should be resolved through the designated judicial process.

A Taliban source previously told the BBC that Tamadon TV had been suspended over alleged “political party activity,” citing the Taliban’s ban on partisan activities. The seminary and the broadcaster have denied engaging in any political party activities.