The Taliban government has instructed its Ministry of Public Works to build and protect a mosque every 100 kilometers along the country’s highways, according to a recent newsletter published by the group’s administrative office on Wednesday.
According to the newsletter, the mosques should have separate places for male and female worshippers, as the Taliban’s strict gender segregation policies. Additionally, the Taliban’s economic commission has been tasked with encouraging gas station owners along the highways to build mosques as well.
The Taliban cabinet has also appointed a committee to build new mosques in Kabul city. The committee is expected to identify suitable locations for mosque construction and submit its report to the cabinet.
The move comes at a time when two-third of the country’s population is facing hunger and is largely dependent on humanitarian aid. Last year in December, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reported that 28.3 million people in Afghanistan will need humanitarian assistance in 2023 and the country is facing one of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. the organization further stated that its humanitarian partners prioritized helping 23.7 million people in 2023 which itself requires US$4.62 billion.
