Taliban replaces statue of former Hazara leader in Bamiyan with Quran

The Taliban has replaced a statue of a minority Hazara politician, who was declared a national martyr under the previous government, with a replica of the Holy Quran, residents of the Afghan town of Bamiyan said Thursday, November 11. This work depicts Abdul Ali Mazari, who was killed in 1995 after being captured by the Taliban when they first seized power. A grenade had previously been cut off the head of the statue shortly after the return of the Taliban in August, an incident that locals blamed on Islamist extremists.

“Yesterday they completely removed the statue and replaced it with a copy of the Holy Quran.”Abdul Danani, a civil society activist, said. They are trying to erase Bamiyan’s story, and people will react violently to that. The statue was in Bamiyan Central Square, which was named in honor of Mazari and renamed “Military Street”. This area was the area where the 1,500-year-old Buddha statues were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, sparking an international outcry.

Abdul Ali | Mazari was a staunch opponent of the Taliban. It was officially named “A martyr for the national unity of Afghanistan”. by ousted president Ashraf Ghani in 2016. The Shiite Hazara community, which represents between 10 and 20% of the 38 million Afghans, has long been persecuted by Sunni extremists in a country riven by ethnic and religious divisions. The Hazara have long been the target of attacks by the Taliban and the jihadist Islamic State, whom they consider heretics.

Abdul Ali Shafak, a member of Bamyan Provincial Council, said he would talk to Taliban officials to urge them to reverse their decision. “This is a very sensitive question, one that can provoke reactions”, in your hosting. “The people of Bamiyan love Mazari, they were making a new statue to replace the one that was partially destroyed.”. According to the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islam, it is forbidden to represent humans in painting or sculpture, and sometimes in pictures as well. Since the system change, many companies have removed billboards representing people.