Attack on the Sufi Worship Site in Baghlan: A Reminder of Hundreds of Taliban Terrorist Attacks on Civilians in Sacred Places((Report by Ahmad Soheil Parto))

Attack on the Sufi Worship Site in Baghlan: A Reminder of Hundreds of Taliban Terrorist Attacks on Civilians in Sacred Places((Report by Ahmad Soheil Parto))

The Taliban’s ideology is deeply rooted in the Deobandi school and fundamentalist interpretations of Islam. With a rigid and dogmatic worldview that combines ideological opposition with political considerations, the group has consistently held a hostile view toward practices like Sufism, which emphasize tolerance, moderation, and individual spirituality. Labeling Sufi rituals and practices as innovations (bid’ah), the Taliban perceive Sufism as a serious challenge to their ideological framework and self-declared government.

Driven by this mindset, the Taliban and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan have systematically and deliberately targeted shrines, khanqahs (Sufi lodges), and other centers affiliated with Sufi adherents over the past three years. According to a report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), since the Taliban’s return to power, Sufi shrines and khanqahs have been the target of at least five deadly attacks, resulting in the deaths of at least 113 individuals and injuring 228 others.

Our findings reveal that the recent attack on the “Sayed Padshah Agha” shrine occurred after repeated threats from the Taliban, particularly the group’s police chief in Baghlan province, who had previously obstructed Sufis from gathering at the shrine. He labeled their practices as un-Islamic and superstitious, demanding they refrain from such activities.

The attack on innocent civilians during worship starkly demonstrates that, contrary to Taliban claims, Afghanistan citizens lack both physical and intellectual security. It also recalls the bitter memories of hundreds of similar terrorist attacks by the Taliban on religious and sacred sites during the two decades of the Republic.

The Purple Saturdays Movement strongly condemns the recent terrorist attack on the Sufi worship site “Sayed Padshah Agha,” in which civilians engaged in prayer were brutally targeted. We call on the United Nations, particularly its Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief and Minority Rights, to urgently initiate an independent and impartial investigation into this attack.

Afghanistan has not been safe since the Taliban’s return to power, and what transpired in Baghlan will not be the last crime of this nature. Therefore, it is the moral and political responsibility of the international community to impose stronger sanctions and exert greater pressure on the Taliban to prevent the recurrence of such targeted attacks. Ignoring the growing tide of religious extremism emanating from Afghanistan could have devastating consequences for the region and the world, as evidenced by the recent terrorist attacks on Shia Muslims in Pakistan and Chinese nationals in Tajikistan.
Report by Ahmad Soheil Parto