UNAMA Reports Taliban Closure of Over 30 Ismaili Jamatkhanas in Badakhshan
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reported that the Taliban administration has closed more than 30 Ismaili Shia Jamatkhanas in Badakhshan province over the past three months, raising concerns about religious freedom restrictions.
According to the report released on Tuesday, July 28, at least 17 Jamatkhanas in Zebak district, 14 in Ishkashim district, and two in Wakhan district have been shut down. UNAMA said these closures were carried out by the Taliban’s Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice officials and, in some cases, in cooperation with other Taliban entities. Followers of this faith have been ordered not to use these venues.
UNAMA added that Taliban officials justified the closures by citing the presence of “mihrabs” (prayer niches) in these Jamatkhanas, stating that these places should be used as mosques instead.
In response, the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the status of these sites was not uniform and claimed that some were previously mosques while others had been used as residential or non-worship spaces. The ministry affirmed that separate administrative decisions were made for each case.
Jamatkhanas serve as centers for religious ceremonies and gatherings for followers of the Ismaili sect. Badakhshan is one of the provinces with a significant population of Afghanistan’s Ismailis.
