Taliban leader enforces law to prevent Afghans from befriending non-Muslims

The supreme leader of the radical Taliban movement, Haibatullah Akhundzada, has issued a new law that mandates imams to oversee the strict observance of Islamic norms, specifically instructing Afghan citizens to avoid friendships with those of other religions.

The decree has been officially published by the Taliban government's justice ministry, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The law, known as the Law on Commanding the Good and Prohibiting the Reprehensible, includes Article 112, titled 'Prohibition of Making Friends with Infidels,' which directly quotes the fifth Sura (verse) of the Koran: “O you who have believed! Do not take Jews and Christians as friends: they are friends of one another. And if any of you take them as friends, he is one of them. Verily, Allah does not guide the wrong-doers!”

Despite this directive, Islam also acknowledges the concept of 'people of the scripture,' referring to followers of Christianity and Judaism. Muslims are expressly forbidden from insulting or attacking the lives of these individuals and are permitted to engage in family and business relations with them.