KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has announced that a man detained in Paktika’s Jani Khel district on charges of “insulting Sharia and the Prophet of Islam” has been sentenced to death.
Saif Khyber, a spokesperson for the ministry, said in a post on X on Thursday (July 17) that the detainee, identified as Abdul Aleem Khamoosh, had confessed to his “crime.” However, Khyber did not disclose when Khamoosh was arrested, when the trial took place, or how the judicial process was carried out.
Social media activists have launched a campaign demanding Khamoosh’s release, claiming he is a schoolteacher in Jalalzo village, Jani Khel district. Reports indicate that he was detained about 20 days ago after allegedly telling his students, “Religious education is important, but modern education is more necessary.”
One user alleged that a Taliban court initially sentenced him to two years in prison for opposing the regime but later changed the charge to insulting Islam, resulting in a death sentence. The same source claimed that Taliban authorities have threatened Khamoosh’s family to remain silent about the case.
The Taliban have previously detained individuals accused of promoting “atheism” or “Christianity,” but this appears to be the first reported instance of someone receiving a death sentence for such allegations.
The Taliban enforce an extreme interpretation of Islam and often punish anyone who challenges their ideology under the pretext of blasphemy. The group continues to defend its policies, including the nationwide ban on girls’ and women’s education, as Islamic, despite facing widespread condemnation from the international community, including Muslim-majority nations.
