KABUL (SW) – A number of Wolesi Jirga (lower house) members on Saturday criticized a cleric in Herat for fueling extremism disguised as religious decrees.
This comes after Mujeeb Rehman Ansari, a cleric in Herat, vowed religious policing particularly against women in the province.
Taking part in the debate, the MPs urged the government to take notice and actions or it would lead to formation of more extremist groups in the country.
Speaker, Mir Rehman Rehmani, said on the occasion extremism is not acceptable, and the clerics should act within the parameters of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan instead of forming and propagating self-styled regulations.
A women MP, Bilqees Roshan lashed out at the Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs for failing to perform its tasks in this connection.
Elsewhere, civil society activists in Balkh province also criticized the cleric from Herat for his ‘irresponsible’ words and deeds. They said erecting ‘anti-women’ billboards and delivering divisive speeches would only further aggravate situation in the country.
The prayer leader at Herat’s Guzargah Mosque, Ansari has vowed to implement Sharia in the case of moral corruption in the province.
ENDS
