Hanafi: We Will Not Retreat From Enforcing Sharia

DID Press: Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s acting minister for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, said the Taliban government would not retreat from enforcing Islamic Sharia, despite any external or internal pressure.

Speaking at an official gathering in Kabul, Hanafi stressed the Taliban’s commitment to implementing what he described as Islamic laws, saying the ministry would continue enforcing Sharia without compromise.

He also warned that both foreign and domestic actors were attempting to exploit Afghanistan’s ethnic, regional and linguistic differences to create divisions within society.

According to Hanafi, fueling ethnic and sectarian tensions is one of the strategies used by the Taliban’s opponents to undermine national stability.Calling on religious scholars to play a more active role, Hanafi urged clerics to support what he described as social reform efforts.

He said combating “immoral acts” and promoting Islamic values is not solely the government’s responsibility but a shared religious obligation for all Muslims.

His remarks come as the Taliban continues to face international criticism over its enforcement of religious laws and restrictions on social freedoms, particularly those affecting women and girls.