The supreme leader of the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada, on Friday (July 1st) summoned the world to stop "
meddling
" in Afghan affairs, believing that the application of Islamic law was the key to success for his country.
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Hibatullah Akhundzada, who has never been filmed or photographed in public since the Taliban came to power in August, and usually lives in seclusion in Kandahar (south), their spiritual center, spoke in Kabul before an assembly of religious dignitaries summoned by the regime to consolidate its power.
"
They tell us, 'Why don't you do this, why don't you do that?
Why does the world interfere in our affairs?
We will not accept directions from anyone in the world.
We will bow only to Almighty Allah,'
” he said, in an hour-long speech broadcast by state radio.
More than 3,000 religious and tribal leaders have gathered in the capital since Thursday for a three-day grand council.
The first speeches mainly called for unity behind the regime.
The press, which did not have the right to access it, had been speculating for several days on the possible participation of Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Only audio recordings of him had so far been made public since August, without being able to be authenticated by an independent source.
Despite his discretion, this mullah, a specialist in judicial and religious issues, who would be in his 70s, holds an iron fist to the movement he took the lead in 2016, according to analysts, and bears the title of "
Commander of believers
”.
corruption, selfishness, tyranny, nationalism and nepotism
"characteristic according to him of the governments which succeeded one another these last two decades, after the previous passage of the Taliban in power (1996-2001).
Women, excluded from society
To achieve this, "
it is now time to apply Sharia (Islamic law)
," he said, asking the ulema to guide the authorities in this area.
"
If there is sharia, we will have security, freedom, an Islamic system and everything we need
," he insisted, in a monotonous tone.
The gathering, the largest since the Taliban took power, comes a week after an earthquake struck the southeast of the country, leaving more than 1,000 dead and tens of thousands homeless.
No women were allowed to participate in this assembly.
The Taliban felt that their presence was unnecessary, as they are represented by male relatives.
Read alsoAfghanistan: the Taliban promise not to hinder international aid
A Taliban source told AFP earlier this week that participants would be allowed to criticize the regime and that thorny issues, such as girls' education, a subject of debate within the movement itself, would be on the program.
At the end of March, the Taliban had closed high schools and colleges for girls, just hours after their reopening, announced for a long time.
This unexpected reversal had been ordered by Hibatullah Akhundzada himself, according to several sources within the movement.
He did not mention this subject in his speech, which was mainly limited to calling on the faithful to respect Islamic principles.
"There can be no reconciliation between Islam and the ''kafirs''"
The Taliban have largely returned to the ultra-rigorous interpretation of Islam that marked their first passage to power, severely restricting women's rights.
They almost completely barred them from public employment, restricted their right to travel, and barred girls from attending secondary schools.
Women have also been forced to wear a full veil, covering the face, for any outing in public.
They also banned non-religious music, the representation of human faces in advertisements, the broadcast on TV of films or series showing unveiled women, and asked men to wear traditional clothing and let their beards grow. .
Read alsoEarthquake in Afghanistan: rescuers work in difficult conditions
Hibatullah Akhundzada warned his listeners that non-Muslim nations would never accept a genuinely Islamic state, and therefore asked them to be prepared for many hardships.
“
There can be no reconciliation between Islam and the 'kafirs' (infidels).
It never happened, not in the past and not now
,” he said.
"
You have to fight, endure hardships... The present world will not easily accept that you implement the Islamic system and it will not allow you to do so
," he said.
The Taliban surrounded this gathering with strong security measures.
But on Thursday, two armed men still managed to approach the place of the meeting, at Kabul Polytechnic University, before