Information since January 1996 on reports of prosecution by the Taliban for apostasy [AFG25751.E]

Although information on reports of Taliban punishment for apostasy could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB, the following information may be of general interest.

The New Encyclopaedia Britannica's entry on Islam provides information on fixed Shari'a punishments for specific crimes:

[f]or six specific crimes the punishment is fixed (hadd): death for apostasy and for highway robbery; amputation of the hand for theft; death by stoning for extramarital sex relations (zina) where the offender is a married person and 100 lashes for unmarried offenders; 80 lashes for an unproved accusation of unchastity (qadhf) and for the drinking of any intoxicant (1981, 33).

In Taliban-controlled areas, the Taliban have established an Islamic state in which they are "applying a strict interpretation of Islamic law derived from the Koran, which is devoid of any secular influence" (The Middle East Dec. 1996, 5). Some of the Islamic laws strictly implemented include the following: amputation of the hand for theft, stoning to death for adultery (ibid., 6; AFP 6 Nov. 1996) and decapitation for murder (ibid.); in public women must wear the burqa that covers the entire body and are unable to leave the home without being escorted by a male relative (The Middle East Dec. 1996, 5-6; The Economist 5 Oct. 1996, 22); women are not permitted to work (The Middle East Dec. 1996, 5-6; AFP 3 Oct. 1996; DPA 26 Nov. 1996); girls' schools have been closed down (ibid.; The Middle East Dec. 1996, 5-6; AFP 3 Oct. 1996); men have been given six weeks to grow beards or face "severe punishment" (ibid.; The Middle East Dec. 1996, 6; DPA 26 Nov. 1996); music, cinema, and television have been banned (The Middle East Dec. 1996, 5; The Economist 5 Oct. 1996, 22); Muslims are required to pray five times daily at the mosque and those who miss their prayers are punished (AFP 3 Oct. 1996; The Middle East Dec. 1996, 6). According to the attached Agence France Presse (AFP) report, those who miss their prayers "are considered to be corrupt" (3 Oct. 1996), while The Economist states they are labelled "infidels" (5 Oct. 1996, 22). On 2 October 1996, according to AFP, Kabul's "religious police" ordered that any individuals who missed their prayers be turned over to the Taliban authorities (3 Oct. 1996; 6 Nov. 1996). A 26 November 1996 Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) report states that 60 people in Jalalabad were detained for "failing to pray in mosques regularly"; according to this report, the Jalalabad administration had decreed that men not attending mosques regularly face a ten-day jail term (DPA 26 Nov. 1996).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References


Agence France Presse (AFP). 6 November 1996. "Taliban Execute Two Men for Raping Children." (NEXIS)

______. 3 October 1996. Marc Lavine. "Drivers Must Halt for Prayers, Buses Segregated–Taliban." (NEXIS)

Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA). 26 November 1996. BC Cycle. "Taleban Detains 60 People for Skipping Religious Duties." (NEXIS)

The Economist [London]. 5-11 October 1996. "Enter the Taliban: The Road to Koranistan."

The Middle East [London]. December 1996. No. 262. Peter Willems. "Afghanistan: Current Affairs: War Without End."

The New Encyclopaedia Brtiannica. 1989. 15th ed. Vol. 22. Edited by Philip W. Goetz. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Briannica.

Attachments


Agence France Presse (AFP). 6 November 1996. "Taliban Execute Two Men for Raping Children." (NEXIS)

______. 3 October 1996. Marc Lavine. "Drivers Must Halt for Prayers, Buses Segregated–Taliban." (NEXIS)

Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA). 26 November 1996. BC Cycle. "Taleban Detains 60 People for Skipping Religious Duties." (NEXIS)

The Economist [London]. 5-11 October 1996. "Enter the Taliban: The Road to Koranistan," pp. 21-22, 24.

The Middle East [London]. December 1996. No. 262. Peter Willems. "Afghanistan: Current Affairs: War Without End," pp. 5-6.

Middle East International (MEI) [London]. 25 October 1996. No. 536. G.H. Jansen. "Afghanistan's Ignorant Rulers," p. 11.

The New Encyclopaedia Brtiannica. 1989. 15th ed. Vol. 22. Edited by Philip W. Goetz. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Briannica, pp. 32-33.

Additional Sources Consulted


Asian Survey [Berkeley, Calif.]. Monthly. January-September 1996.

Current History [Philadelphia]. Monthly. January-December 1996.

DIRB. "Afghanistan: Amnesty International" country file. 1996.

_____. Indexed Media Review. Weekly. July-December 1996.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports. June-mid-August 1996.

FBIS Internet.

The Herald [Karachi]. Monthly. January-November 1996.

Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. Monthly. January-September 1996.

The Middle East [London]. Monthly. January-December 1996.

Middle East International [London]. Fortnightly. January-November 1996.

News From Asia Watch [New York].

On-line search of media reports.