In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful.
May Allah bless Muhammad and his Family and damn their enemies.
The Taliban has now shown its ugly face and revealed its true intentions for the Shi’a of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), as we continue to hear of the tragedies taking place in Afghanistan.
A recent report by Amnesty International revealed that the Taliban have killed, in the Daykundi province, 13 of the Hazara Shi’a people, among them a 17-year-old girl. Meanwhile, an investigation by the BBC has revealed that the Taliban evicted about 1200 Shi’a families – made up of more than 4000 individuals, including women and children – from their homes in the same province. According to the Taliban, the residents had no legal claim to the properties, even though they had lived in the region for decades and had legal documents to prove ownership of their homes. We can only imagine the state of these homeless families in the upcoming winter months without a proper shelter and how many of them will end up dead in the cold.
Furthermore, this treacherous organisation added to their crimes the confiscation of farms belonging to the Shi’a families to redistribute among their members as if they were spoils of war. These crimes make clear the Taliban’s intentions: Take over the resources belonging to the Shi’a of Afghanistan and deprive them of their means of survival.
As horrendous as these crimes are, we were greatly saddened to hear of a more heinous crime that took place recently, in which terrorists detonated a bomb in a Shi’a mosque in Kunduz, martyring tens of people and injuring many more worshippers.
Naturally, the Taliban claimed to have no hand in the attack while blaming Isis. What the Taliban seems to forget, however, is that they share the same background with Isis. Indeed, it was the crimes of the Taliban against the Sh’ia of Afghanistan that created the perfect environment for groups such as Isis to target them. There is no doubt – due to the extremist ideology these groups uphold – that they will compete in shedding the blood of the Shi’a of Afghanistan while subjecting them to ever-increasing acts of oppression to prove that their only concern is the ‘‘approval of Allah,’’ even if the whole world is against them.
We had foreseen this reality taking place and were the first to warn against it, even before the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. Since then, we have prayed to Allah that our fears do not become realities and that our expectations were untrue; alas, wishes are one thing, and realities on the field are another.
Turning a blind eye to the dangers we all face while placing our hopes in the false promises made by the Taliban – as the Iranian regime led by Khaminai had done – can only be described as utter stupidity or complete disregard for the countless souls that shall be lost.
We have always warned that the Shi’a must take action to protect themselves independently and free from any meaningless considerations. We need to establish a border crossing force, recognised and supported by the international community, tasked with eradicating terror wherever it is found. We had always hoped to find the Grand Religious Authorities supportive of our goals, even if the support is not made public, because any discussions or agreements with major powers in world politics can only occur with their approval.
However, our destiny is to proceed as we have always done: Depend on ourselves to accomplish our goals and projects or create the necessary environment needed, even if we are bled dry in the process.
There is no might, nor power, save in Allah, the Exalted, the Great.
Sheikh al-Habib