Purple Saturdays Movement: Attack on Sufi Worship Site in Baghlan Evokes Memories of Hundreds of Taliban Terrorist Attacks on Sacred Sites

In a statement, the movement emphasized that the Taliban's ideology, rooted in the Deobandi school and fundamentalist interpretations of Islam, has always maintained a "hostile" stance toward Sufism.

According to the statement, the Taliban, with their "strict and dogmatic" perspective, regard Sufism—focused on tolerance, spirituality, and individual devotion—as a serious threat to their "ideological and self-proclaimed government system," labeling it as heretical.

The Purple Saturdays Movement stated: "With this mindset, the Taliban and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan have systematically and deliberately attacked Sufi shrines, khanqahs, and related centers over the past three years."

Citing a report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the movement added: "Since the Taliban's return to power, Sufi shrines have been targeted by at least five deadly attacks, resulting in the deaths of at least 113 people and injuries to 228 others."

The statement highlighted that the attack on the Sayed Padshah Agha khanqah occurred under circumstances where the Taliban's police chief in Baghlan had repeatedly prevented Sufis from gathering at the site and threatened them for performing their rituals. He said that "the behavior of Sufis contradicts religious principles and is considered superstitious, and such practices must cease."

The statement further asserted that attacks on innocent people during worship demonstrate the lack of both intellectual and physical security in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and serve as "a reminder of the hundreds of similar Taliban attacks on religious sites during the republic era."

The Purple Saturdays Movement called on the United Nations, particularly the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Minority Rights, to conduct a serious and impartial investigation into the attack. The statement concluded: "Afghanistan under Taliban rule is not safe, and what happened in Baghlan will not be the last crime of its kind."

Finally, the movement urged the international community to impose stricter sanctions and increased pressure on the Taliban to prevent such attacks from recurring. The statement warned that ignoring the growth of religious extremism in Afghanistan could have irreversible consequences for the region and the world.

Meanwhile, according to published reports, 11 worshippers belonging to the Sufi order were shot dead on Thursday night (November 21) at the Sayed Padshah shrine in Shar-e-Kohna, Nahrin district, Baghlan province. While the Taliban claimed to have arrested several individuals in connection with the attack, some sources identified the group as the main perpetrator of the incident, stating that Taliban fighters had repeatedly prevented and disrupted people's worship at the shrine.

Richard Bennett, the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, also expressed his regret over the attack and emphasized: "All Afghans have the right to worship in peace and security. More must be done to prevent, protect, and ensure justice."