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Following Farkhunda’s tragic death, banishing heresy and polytheism from shrines across the country has become a formidable task now, says Osmani
Abdul Zuhoor Qayomi
KABUL: Following a terrible incident in Kabul where an angry mob lynched a woman for allegedly burning a copy of the Holy Qur’an, the Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs on Tuesday vowed that shrines will be cleared of ‘faith healers’ all over the country.
Faiz Mohammad Osmani said that religious scholars had no role in lynching of Farkkhunda—a 27-year-old girl who was lynched by a mob near Shah-e-Do Shamshera Shrine in Kabul last week. The minister said Islam is against such killings and no religious scholar was involved in tragic death of Farkhunda.
“The Shah-e-Do Shamshera Shrine was cleared of faith healers, and based on our new plan, all shrines will be cleared of them countrywide,” he vowed.
He said that assessment of shrines was one of his top agendas ahead of the incident, adding that all activities of faith healers will be under the control of the ministry. “Our aim is to banish heresy and polytheism from shrines. Three religious scholars were appointed at Shah-e-Do Shamshera Shrine to take control of activities in the shrine,” he added.
He acknowledged that a team comprised of religious scholars was assigned to evaluate activities of shrines and clear them from faith healers who are the cause of corruption in religion.
It comes as members of provincial council and Kabul Scholar’s Council prodded the government to clear mosques and shrines of faith healers as existence of such figures was the main reason behind the tragic incident where the girl was lynched by an angry mob.
