The Complex Relationship Between Religion And State In Afghanistan: Understanding Theocratic Influences

Afghanistan is a landlocked country in south-central Asia with a rich history. It has been ruled by various governments, including a monarchy, a republic, and a theocracy. The country is currently governed by the Taliban, which seized power in 2021 after a twenty-year insurgency against the western-backed Islamic Republic. Under the Taliban, Afghanistan is a theocracy and an emirate, with political power concentrated in the hands of a supreme leader and his clerical advisors. The country's governance is based on Sharia law and Pashtunwali, which the Taliban enforces strictly through extensive social and cultural policy.

Islam is the official religion of Afghanistan, and the political institutions are founded on Islamic Sharia Law. The country's supreme leader has authority over the cabinet, judiciary, armed forces, and provincial and municipal governments. The current government has been criticised for totalitarianism, human rights violations, a lack of transparency, and exclusion of women and minorities.

Afghanistan's government is called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

The supreme leader is advised by an advisory council of four to six individuals on appointments, national security, and domestic and religious policy. The deputy leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is the deputy head of state and is appointed by the supreme leader for an indefinite term.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan also has a prime minister, who is the appointed head of government and is responsible for overseeing the civil service operations and presiding over the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers is the cabinet and comprises 26 ministries.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has a Ulema Council of Kandahar, which is the de facto ruling and executive oversight body. The supreme leader also appoints all members of the Ulema Council of Kandahar, which is also known as the Kandahar Provincial Council.

The Council of Ulema, or Ulema Shura, is the highest religious authority in Afghanistan and is responsible for ensuring that all policies by the executive conform to Sharia law. The General Directorate of the Central Dar ul-Ifta is responsible for issuing fatwas and functions as a religious judicial body.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan's judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, Appellate Courts, Civil Courts, Primary Courts, Military Court, zonal Military Courts, and provincial Military Courts. All justices and court officials are appointed and dismissed by the Supreme Leader.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is not internationally recognized and lacks a clear constitutional basis. The government has been criticized by international observers for totalitarianism, systemic human rights violations, unaccountability, opacity, and exclusion of women, religious and ethnic minorities, and those with dissenting views.

The country's governance is based on Sharia law and Pashtunwali

Afghanistan is one of the world's most notable examples of a theocracy. The country's governance is based on Sharia law and Pashtunwali. Islam is the official religion of the country, and the political institutions are founded on Islamic Sharia Law. The country's fundamentalist regime aims to unify the Afghan people under a common religious law.

The country is officially called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and is led by the Taliban. The supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is the head of state, commander-in-chief, and religious leader. The supreme leader makes all significant policy decisions, which are then implemented by the country's civil service and judiciary. The supreme leader also appoints and dismisses the cabinet, judiciary, armed forces general staff, and provincial and municipal governments.

The Taliban enforces Sharia law and Pashtunwali strictly through extensive social and cultural policy. The Taliban forbids pork and alcohol, many types of consumer technology such as music, television, and film, and most forms of art. They have also banned women from working and girls from attending schools or universities. Men are forbidden from shaving and are required to keep their beards long.

The Taliban's interpretation of Sharia law and Pashtunwali has led to a government that has been criticised by international observers for totalitarianism, systemic human rights violations, a lack of accountability, opacity, and exclusivity.

Political power lies with the Taliban's supreme leader and his clerical advisors, collectively referred to as the Leadership

Afghanistan is a theocracy, with political power lying with the Taliban's supreme leader and his clerical advisors, collectively referred to as the Leadership. The current supreme leader is Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, also spelt Haibatullah Akhunzada, who has led the Taliban since 2016 and came to power in 2021.

A highly reclusive figure, Akhundzada has almost no digital footprint, with only an unverified photograph and several audio recordings of speeches in existence. He is known for his fatwas on Taliban matters and, unlike many Taliban leaders, he does not have a militant background. He is a Deobandi cleric and Islamic scholar who served as an Islamic judge of the Sharia courts during the Taliban's first stint in power, from 1996 to 2001.

Akhundzada was chosen to lead the Taliban's shadow court system at the start of the Taliban insurgency and remained in that post until being elected supreme leader in May 2016. He succeeded Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, who was killed in a US drone strike.

Akhundzada's leadership style is autocratic and micromanaging. He has cemented himself as the final say in all matters, decreeing policies that deprive Afghans of fundamental rights. He has alienated Afghans and the outside world by attempting to create what he sees as a "pure" Islamic system, and his uncompromising approach could unleash another civil war or spill conflict beyond Afghanistan's borders.

Akhundzada has surrounded himself with loyalists and like-minded advisers who echo his thinking on religious and temporal matters. He has also appointed prominent loyalists to key government positions and formed provincial clerical councils to supervise the Taliban administration in most provinces.

Akhundzada rarely leaves Kandahar, the Taliban's birthplace and spiritual heartland. He communicates with Taliban officials via letters and has ruled out any talks or compromise on his "Islamic system" of governance. He has banned girls from attending university and barred women from working for domestic and international NGOs. He has also ordered the Taliban's judiciary to implement Islamic corporal punishments.

Akhundzada's isolation, leadership style, and ultraconservative policies have created a growing rift between him and his Kandahar-based clerical advisors, and those running the government in Kabul.

Afghanistan has variously been governed as a monarchy, a republic, and a theocracy

Afghanistan has been governed as a monarchy, a republic, and a theocracy at various points in its history.

Afghanistan was a monarchy from 1926 to 1973, known as the Kingdom of Afghanistan. The monarchy was established by Amanullah Khan, who proclaimed himself king. The monarchy ended in 1973 when the king, Mohammed Zahir Shah, was overthrown in a coup d'état led by his cousin, Mohammad Daoud Khan. Daoud Khan abolished the monarchy and established the Republic of Afghanistan, with himself as president.

The Republic of Afghanistan lasted from 1973 to 1978. In 1978, a communist revolution established a socialist state, leading to infighting and eventually, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

In 1996, the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban controlled most of the country, establishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Taliban's rule lasted until 2001, when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban government.

From 2001 to 2021, Afghanistan was a republic once again, known as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. This republic collapsed in 2021 when the Taliban recaptured Kabul and re-established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

The current theocratic government came to power in 2021

The current theocratic government of Afghanistan came to power in 2021, marking the second time the Taliban has held power in the country. The Taliban's victory in a twenty-year insurgency against the Western-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan saw the group regain control of the country, having previously been ousted in 2001.

The Taliban's leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, was named the supreme leader of Afghanistan and will have the ultimate say in political, religious, and military affairs. The Taliban's victory has resulted in the implementation of a stricter interpretation of Sharia law, with the country now being governed as a totalitarian emirate.

The current government has been criticised by international observers for totalitarianism, systemic human rights violations, and a lack of inclusivity. The Taliban has faced backlash for its treatment of women, who have been excluded from work and education, and barred from appearing on TV or radio. The Taliban has also been criticised for its lack of a clear constitutional basis, instead ruling by decree and applying its own interpretation of Sharia law.

The current government is not recognised internationally, and the country has faced economic crises, international isolation, terrorism, rebellion, and natural disasters.

Frequently asked questions