Date: 15/11/1403

Local sources in Badakhshan Province report that over the past three and a half years, the Taliban have carried out forced religious conversions targeting Ismaili and Twelver Shia communities. According to reporting by 8AM Daily, at least 80 residents—including women and children—have been coerced into changing their religious affiliation.

Videos obtained by the outlet show Taliban members reciting the Islamic declaration of faith (shahada) over individuals under coercion. Local sources state that Jummah Khan Fateh, the Taliban district governor of Nusai Darwaz, has overseen the forced conversion of at least 50 Ismaili and Twelver Shia men, with additional cases reported days later. Taliban members have reportedly conducted patrols in districts including Darwaz, Shughnan, Ishkashim, Yamgan, Wakhan, and Zebak, labeling Ismailis as “infidels” and threatening them with conversion.

Taliban-affiliated accounts have publicly celebrated these acts as part of a campaign to promote “monotheism,” stating that it will continue until the area is “cleansed of polytheism.” Sources report that some conversions occurred under threat of violence, while others involved financial inducements. The Taliban have also established Sunni religious schools in Badakhshan and pressured Ismaili families to send their children for religious re-education.

Members of the Ismaili community report severe psychological distress, fear of identity erasure, and deepening sectarian marginalization. International observers, including the U.S. State Department, have warned that religious freedom in Afghanistan is under grave threat and that minority places of worship remain unprotected.

The Taliban’s campaign of forced religious conversion in Badakhshan constitutes a grave violation of religious freedom and minority rights, involving coercion, threats of violence, public humiliation, and ideological enforcement. By targeting Ismaili and Twelver Shia communities through forced recitations, propaganda, and re-education, the Taliban impose Sunni-majoritarian domination while seeking to erase minority religious identity. The scale, repetition, and public celebration of these acts indicate an organized and systematic campaign of sectarian persecution.