KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban authorities in Ghazni’s Malistan district forcibly made Shia residents eat and drink to compel them to observe Eid ul-Fitr based on the group’s decree, local sources report.
A source in Malistan said Taliban forces were stationed in markets and busy streets, forcing those passersby who were fasting to drink water.
“Many who were fasting in the market fled to their homes or scattered out of fear,” the source said, adding that the Taliban used a water container to forcibly pour water into the mouths of locals.
The Taliban had earlier warned Malistan residents that fasting and Eid must align with their orders.
The regime declared Sunday (March 30) as Eid, but many Shia Muslims continued fasting, as their religious leaders had not yet confirmed the holiday.
Sources in West Kabul and Bamyan, where Shia Hazaras form a majority, said their religious authorities had not announced Eid.
Before the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Sunni and Shia communities in Afghanistan celebrated Eid on different days based on moon sightings and religious rulings.
The group has since imposed strict restrictions on Shia religious practices, including banning the teaching of Shia jurisprudence in universities and forcing Shia communities to follow Sunni rulings on religious observances.
