This Country Issues Fatwa Declaring Protests 'Haram', Claiming No Basis in Islamic Law

The Taliban government in Afghanistan has caused significant controversy regarding a ‘fatwa’ banning demonstrations. The government provided a formal defence of the move on Wednesday local time.

Quoting Arab News on Thursday (3/9/2026), Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated during a press conference that the new regulation is fully compliant with Islamic law. “Protest does not exist in Islamic law,” he asserted.

Demonstrations in Afghanistan have been extremely rare since the Taliban returned to power more than five years ago. However, last month, the government officially introduced strict regulations asserting that all forms of protest are now totally prohibited.

According to Mujahid, protest actions are only characteristic of societies that establish different legal systems, such as democracies or republics. He stated that under an Islamic system, citizens can directly approach the government to convey grievances instead of holding demonstrations in the streets.

“This will also protect people from wasting time and prevent the destruction of private property,” he explained.

This statement immediately triggered sharp reactions from the international community. Human Rights Watch (HRW) mocked the ban, describing it as a cruel step by the Taliban to suppress all forms of dissent.

Echoing HRW, Amnesty International described the series of broad changes in Taliban law enforcement as a “new attack sweeping away human rights in Afghanistan.” The organisation identified the protest ban as one of the most horrific provisions.

Previously, the United Nations (UN) revealed that at least two people were killed last June. At that time, security forces were reported to have opened fire on protests demanding women’s rights in the western city of Herat.