Taliban in Ghazni Ban Funeral Ceremonies for Suicide Victims

Photo: AP Photo/Safiullah Zahir

The Taliban in Ghazni have announced that, based on the order of Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s leader, holding public funeral and condolence ceremonies for individuals who commit suicide is prohibited.

Abdul Samad Javid, the Taliban governor of Ghazni, has ordered all departments of the group in this province to prevent the holding of such ceremonies.

According to the statement from the Taliban governor’s office in Ghazni, this decree was issued directly by the Taliban leader and all institutions under the group’s control are obliged to implement it.

This decree is issued at a time when, since the Taliban’s return to power, suicide rates in Afghanistan, especially among women and youth, have increased significantly. Poverty, unemployment, economic hardship, hopelessness about the future, and mental illnesses are cited as the main causes of these cases.

The prohibition on holding condolence and funeral ceremonies for individuals who commit suicide comes while the Taliban have repeatedly honored their suicide bombers in public ceremonies and given cash and land to their families. While the Taliban consider individual suicide a “sin,” they describe suicide bombings as “martyrdom” and glorify them.