A YouTuber From Afghanistan Arrested By The Taliban For 'Insulting' Islam

Since the Talibans took over Afghanistan in August 2021, they have overruled the government, and then imposed several strict measures.

In particular, they have been curbing the rights of women and minorities, and making the laws of Islam something that is "final and non-negotiable."

Among the many things the Talibans have targeted, include arresting an Afghan model, alongside other three other people for allegedly “disrespecting” Islam and the Qur'an, as per videos released by Afghanistan's Taliban rulers.

The model, which is identified as Ajmal Haqiqi, is a person involved in fashion shows, and modelling events. He ran a YouTube channel, which apparently annoyed the Talibans.

Ajmal was reportedly handcuffed and brought to prison in a light brown jail uniform, according to videos released by the Taliban.

For what he and his colleagues did wrong, was seen in a YouTube video Ajmal uploaded.

Ajmal Haqiqi
Ajmal Haqiqi (Credit: Inside Afghanistan)

In a video that was uploaded to YouTube by Ajmal, Ajmal was seen laughing as his colleague Ghulam Sakhi, who is known to have a speech impediment, recited the verses of the Qur'an in Arabic in a comical tone.

Realizing this, the Taliban arrested Ajmal and his colleagues, because “no one is allowed to insult Qur'anic verses or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad”.

They were held on charges of "insulting Islamic sacred values."

Responding to the arrest, the Amnesty International in a website post urged the Taliban to "immediately and unconditionally" release Ajmal and his colleagues.

According to Samira Hamidi, Amnesty International’s South Asia Campaigner.

In a statement, Hamidi reportedly said that by detaining "Haqiqi and his colleagues and coercing them into apologizing," and that the Taliban have "undertaken a blatant attack on the right to freedom of expression."

"Restrictions to the right to freedom of expression must be clearly provided by law and be strictly necessary and proportionate to a legitimate aim. International human rights law does not permit restrictions of freedom of expression simply on the grounds it has the potential to offend or insult nor for the protection of religious beliefs or the religious sensibilities of their adherents. This incident is a classic example of how the Taliban is creating a climate of fear in Afghanistan by using arbitrary arrests and coercion to force people into silence."

"Since assuming power, the Taliban have been using intimidation, harassment, and violence on anyone who has expressed support for human rights or modern values, especially human rights defenders, women activists, journalists, and members of academia among others. As the de facto authority, the Taliban must abide by international human rights law and respect everyone’s right to freedom of expression without discrimination."

"Arbitrarily detaining YouTuber Haqiqi and his colleagues and coercing them into apologizing because the Taliban de-facto authorities were offended by the video is a blatant attack on the right to freedom of expression. The Taliban must immediately and unconditionally release the YouTubers and end their continued censorship of those who wish to freely express their ideas."

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Ajmal Haqiqi, a famous among Afghans for his comedy and fashion videos on YouTube and Instagram.

His channel was created back in October 2020, and boasts more than 16 million views. While this is relatively small to many influencers of the West and in many parts of Asia, Ajmal's channel is considered big in Afghanistan's relatively small YouTube community.

"I apologize to the Afghan people, to esteemed religious scholars and to the government of the Islamic Emirate," the social media influencer based in Kabul, Afghanistan, said while standing before a row of four men.

While Haqiqi does not confess to a crime in the videos, he is understood to be accused of insulting verses of the Qur'an, the Islam’s holy book.

"My message to all YouTubers and the youth active in the media is to seriously avoid making any insults to Islamic sacred values," Haqiqi said in his video.

Since taking control of the Afghanistan government, the Taliban has strict rules that adhere to the Islamic laws.

And with that, the Taliban also imposes strict rules when considering any criticism. Anything perceived as disrespectful of Islam is a punishable crime, according to the Talibans.

"In the Islamic sovereignty, no one is allowed to insult or make fun of Quranic verses, sayings of the Prophet and the Islamic sacreds," the Taliban's intelligence agency said in a tweet.

The Taliban that has imposed strict censorship on free media, has tortured journalists, and also banned female TV presenters and anchors from appearing on television without a face covering.

Read: Afghanistan Women Protest Taliban's Hijab Mandates By Wearing Colorful Dresses On Social Media