No need for western norms in Afghanistan, say Taliban

The supreme leader of the Taliban said on Sunday there was no need for Western laws in Afghanistan and that democracy was dead as long as sharia laws are in effect.

Hibatullah Akhundzada made the comments in a sermon marking the Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, in the southern city of Kandahar’s Eidgah Mosque. The 50-minute audio of his message was published on X by the Taliban government’s chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

“There is no need for laws that originate from the West. We will create our own laws,” Akhundzada said, speaking in Pashto, while emphasising the importance of Islamic laws.

Akhundzada has taken a stronger hand in directing policy since the Taliban seized control of the country in 2021, despite some officials initially promising a more moderate rule.

Akhundzada on Sunday criticised the West, saying non-believers had united against Muslims and that the US and others were united in their hostility toward Islam, citing the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.