300 Rak’ah Prayer or Expulsion: Coercion, Whipping, and Threats at the Dastak Religious School in Panjshir
Reliable sources from Panjshir province confirm that in one of the religious schools linked to Turkic institutions in the Dastak area, Rukh district, students are under extreme pressure to carry out exhausting religious programs. According to these reports, students are being forced by direct orders from Mullah Misafir, the commander of the Taliban’s unit in the region, to perform 300 rak’ah of Taraweeh prayers every night—an act that has no basis in Islamic tradition and is, according to sources, more akin to a nightly form of torture than an act of worship.
This school, located opposite the Loya base, appears to be managed by Turkic-speaking teachers; however, sources indicate that the real control of the school lies in the hands of the Taliban, especially Mullah Misafir and his team.
One student, who was expelled for failing to complete the program, told IntelMedium: “Since the beginning of Ramadan, Mullah Misafir came and said that the school was no longer a regular school, but a religious institution. He said that every night, we must read 300 rak’ah of Taraweeh. If anyone refuses, they must leave.”
The student emphasized that the pressure was not limited to verbal threats; physical violence was also part of the nightly program: “If the children fell asleep, people were positioned behind the rows to whip them. If anyone skipped a prayer, their food for the night was taken away, their grades were reduced, and they were threatened with expulsion.”
According to sources, after the long prayers, students are forced to perform a half-hour of loud dhikr. If anyone’s voice is too low or if they refuse to participate, they are threatened with arrest.
An instructor familiar with the atmosphere of the school, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, stated that the Turkic-speaking management of the school is dissatisfied with the situation but has been forced into silence due to direct pressure from the Taliban.
An Islamic studies teacher in Panjshir spoke with IntelMedium, saying: “Taraweeh prayer is a recommended and voluntary act of worship. No credible religious source recommends more than 20 rak’ahs. 300 rak’ahs, especially when forced with whipping, threats, and expulsion, is neither an act of worship nor a reflection of religion. It is an insult to faith and a humiliation of the individual.”
Religion as a Tool of Obedience
Since the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan in August 2021, one of the most notable features of their regime has been their instrumental, extreme, and selective use of Islam to enforce order and obedience in society. Instead of offering a broad and merciful interpretation of Islam, the Taliban apply a rigid, one-sided, and militarized version to suppress dissent and maintain absolute compliance.
Anything that does not align with the group’s preferences and interests is quickly labeled “haram” or “against Sharia,” from girls’ education and music to clothing styles or even the number of rak’ahs in prayers. By taking full control of mosques, pulpits, and religious schools, they have created a structure where religion no longer serves a liberating role but has become a tool for blind obedience, fear, and societal control, especially targeting the younger generation.
Religious schools, which should be centers of moral education, religious knowledge, and intellectual growth, have, in many areas, turned into hubs of psychological pressure and physical violence. Here, sacred concepts like worship, dhikr, and tahajjud are intertwined with whips, threats, food deprivation, and expulsions. This approach not only distorts the true essence of religion but also creates doubt, hatred, and aversion toward religious values among the younger generation.
The Dastak religious school in Panjshir is just one example of this trend—a trend where the Taliban has stripped religion of its substance and turned it into a tool for silencing society.