Hearing on Religious Freedom in Afghanistan: Five Years of Taliban Rule

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing  

Religious Freedom in Afghanistan: Five Years of Taliban Rule 

September 23, 2026 
10:00 am – 11:30 am ET 
Virtual 

Register
 

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual hearing on religious freedom conditions in Afghanistan.  

Five years since the Taliban returned to power, religious freedom conditions in Afghanistan are dire. In 2026, the Taliban introduced a new criminal code that identifies only Sunni Muslims as citizens of Afghanistan. Women and girls remain barred from public life, including secondary school and religious ceremonies, and have faced imprisonment for failing to observe the Taliban’s mandatory hijab rule. Religious minorities, including Ismaili and Shi’a Muslims, Christians and Hindus continue to face severe restrictions to religious practices.  

Witnesses will address the escalating and ongoing challenges for religious freedom in Afghanistan and identify potential policy options for the international community and U.S. government to advance religious freedom in Afghanistan. 

Opening Remarks

• Asif Mahmood, USCIRF Chair  
• CeCe Heil, USCIRF Vice Chair 

• Hanifa Girowal, Affiliate at Princeton University's Afghanistan Policy Lab, Advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, and Vice President of Women's Rights First (WRF) 
• Shaharzad Akbar, Executive Director, Rawadari Foundation 

*Additional witnesses to be confirmed.

This hearing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. Members of the media should register online and can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for any questions or to schedule an interview. The video recording of the hearing will be posted on the Commission website.