PARUN (SW): A number of residents in Nuristan said that sectarian tension has been on the rise in the province.
They said that a group named Ahl-e-Hadith has increased its sectarian activities in the province.
Ghulam Sakhi, a tribal elder in Nuristan, stated that Ahl-e-Hadith group sometimes contradict with Suni-Hanafi locals. He stressed that Afghan government so far has not been able to prevent sectarian tension.
Ghulam Sakhi added that if Afghan government do not act to stop sectarian tension in Nuristan, it will intensify with each passing day.
In the meantime, Mawlawi Abdul Qadir, the prayer leader in central mosque of Nuristan said that some Ahl-e-Hadith members preach anti-Hanafi teachings in the mosques. Mawlawi Qadir asked both sects not to fuel sectarian tensions anymore.
Speaking to Salam Watandar, Munawar Khan, the head of Haj related affairs department in Nuristan, said that Ahl-e-Hadith group are present in Nuristan, but the sectarian tension is not as serious as it is thought.
He added that no one is allowed to use mosques for their sectarian preaching.
Mawlawi Ahmad Baig Mohsen, who is a follower of Ahl-e-Hadith said that his group functions to fight corruption.
Unlike Hanafi residents of Nuristan who live in Mandol, Doab and Bargman districts, the Ahl-e-Hadith devotees dwell in Waima, Waigan and Paroon districts of Nuristan.
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