An Afghan fashion model known for his YouTube videos was arrested by the Taliban along with three of his colleagues on Tuesday for “disrespecting” the Quran.
Ajmal Haqiqi and three others were seen handcuffed in videos posted to Twitter Tuesday by the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence, the Associated Press reported.
The AP noted that, before being detained, a popular video posted by the fashion model shows him laughing “when his colleague Ghulam Sakhi, who is known to have mental health issues, speaks Arabic verses of the Quran with a comical voice. Sakhi is well known for having a speech impediment that he uses for humor.”
Haqiqi had already apologized for the video before being detained, but in the videos posted to Twitter by the Taliban, Haqiqi again apologized for allegedly insulting Islam.
“I apologize to the Afghan people, to esteemed religious scholars and to the government of the Islamic Emirate,” he said, adding, “My message to all YouTubers and the youth active in the media is to seriously avoid making any insults to Islamic values.”
Other reports said the video showed it was “evident” that Haqiqi was beaten. “It’s extremely heart-breaking to see that confession, it is evident that he has been beaten, the language he is using – talking about spreading western values – makes it evident to a lot of Afghans that that is Taliban language,” Zhala Sarmast of ZAWIA News told BBC.
"It's extremely heart-breaking to see that confession, it is evident that he has been beaten, the language he is using – talking about spreading western values – makes it evident to a lot of Afghans that that is Taliban language" @Zhalsarmast on YouTuber Ajmal Haqiqi's arrest pic.twitter.com/rD1mTTZJnu
— Yalda Hakim (@BBCYaldaHakim) June 8, 2022
On Wednesday, the Taliban made more arrests when it was reported that two women who worked with Haqiqi were detained. The Taliban claimed that the women had also “disrespected” the Quran.
“The Taliban, who claim they rule strictly according to Islamic law, consider criticism and anything perceived as disrespectful of Islam as a punishable crime,” the AP wrote.