The directorate of vice and virtue for Kandahar province announced that attending Friday prayers at mosques are now compulsory and that violators will be punished.
On Monday an audiotape was shared on social media in which Abdul Rahman Tayebi announced the new policy. “All the people, especially the shopkeepers, must be present in mosques during Friday prayers, and any kind of income during Friday prayers is haram; those not attending the Friday prayers will face consequences and should not complain later,” Tayebi says in the audio message.
In addition, the department of vice and virtue distributed leaflets with the same message across the city and districts of Kandahar.
People there say the order is disrespectful to their knowledge of Islam.
“Without the Taliban orders, the people are all adult Muslims and they know what to do,” Mohibullah, a shopkeeper in Kandahar city, told Zan Times.
He says forcing people to participate in Friday prayers, especially for those travelling or sick, is against Islamic beliefs, and this directive adds to people’s problems and causes fear.
Abdul Sami, another resident of Kandahar city, remembers similar policies the first time the Taliban ruled the country (1996-2001). He says the group has not changed since they were last in power.
In the last year, the Taliban have issued many decrees policing behaviour, including orders relating to worship, clothing, and appearance. It includes mandatory face covering for women and beards for men.
