AFGHANISTAN: Religious censorship

We hear that the Taliban are still active in Afghanistan- This would seem to be borne out by this report (Reuters, 6/20/03) that a 'blasphemous' Afghan publication had been banned. Afghanistan's US-backed government has banned a private publication for running articles judged blasphemous in this deeply conservative Islamic country, an official said. Mir Hussein Mehdavi, chief editor of the Aftaab publication, has also been arrested by a governmental judiciary body for publishing the articles, added a second official, who declined to be identified. Mehdavi, who is in his mid-thirties, is said to be a leftist. He is also known for his outspoken criticism of some government officials. "Several articles in Aftaab's latest edition were sacrilegious," Abdul Hamid Mubariz, deputy information and culture minister, said. Mubariz said the contents of the articles raised doubts about Islam's holy book, the Koran. Aftaab staff could not be contacted for comment, and copies of the weekly journal have been confiscated from shops where they are usually sold, shopkeepers in the capital said. Mubariz said the Information and Culture Ministry had summoned Mehdavi and the attorney's office was expected to interrogate him. The supreme court has the right to put him on trial and decide on his punishment. It was not immediately clear what kind of punishment the supreme court could order for Mehdavi.

Ronald Hilton - 6/27/03