Taliban’s Higher Education Minister Labels Penal Code Critics as ‘Infidels’
Neda Mohammad Nadim, the Taliban’s Minister of Higher Education, has controversially referred to critics of the administration’s new Penal Code as ‘infidels,’ asserting that the Taliban’s laws are based on Islamic Sharia. He made these remarks during a graduation ceremony for students of the ‘Abdullah bin Mubarak’ school in Paktia province, claiming that the Taliban’s laws and decrees are designed so that, in his words, ‘infidels’ cannot object to them. Nadim added that objections to the Penal Code are attempts to exclude Sharia and Islam from society.
These statements come amid widespread reactions both inside and outside Afghanistan to the Taliban’s Penal Code. Numerous civil activists, political figures, and religious scholars have stated that the document not only conflicts with fundamental human rights but also contradicts Islamic teachings, reflecting primarily the Taliban’s particular interpretation of religion.
In response to these reactions, the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice declared that opposing its laws constitutes ‘opposition to Sharia’ and is legally punishable as a crime. The ministry previously warned in a statement that all Taliban legislative documents, according to their claim, have a religious basis, and no article contradicts Islamic Sharia.
The Ministry of Justice has also described protests against the Taliban’s laws as lacking a ‘religious and scientific basis’ and attributed them to ‘ignorance.’ Critics view this stance as evidence of shrinking space for criticism, suppression of free speech, and the instrumental use of religion to silence dissent in Afghanistan.
