Afghan cleric urges migrants not to be used in Syria War for Iran

Ayatollah Rahimi Sighani Bamiyani, a Shiite cleric from Afghanistan, criticized some Afghan migrants in Iran for wanting to join the war in Syria. In response to requests from Afghan migrants to participate, he argued that their involvement in the Syrian conflict is not “jihad” but “aggression.”

In a video message released on Sunday, Ayatollah Bamiyani expressed discontent with Iran’s treatment of Afghan migrants, stating, “Iran uses helpless Afghan migrants as fuel for its fires and then casts them aside, labeling them as spies, looters, stateless, and terrorists.”

With the onset of the Syrian war, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) established the Fatemiyoun Brigade, made up of Afghan Shiite migrants, to support Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

In recent days, the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham managed to capture Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest province. It is anticipated that the Islamic Republic of Iran will send military advisors and loyal Shiite militias to defend Assad’s government.

As the war in Syria escalated once again, Ayatollah Bamiyani noted that Afghan migrants in Iran were asking whether they could participate in the conflict. He replied, “No Afghan has the right to jeopardize Afghanistan’s national interests for the benefit of foreign powers.”

He further told migrants in Iran, “You no longer have the right to form the Fatemiyoun or Zainabiyoun brigades.”

Describing the Fatemiyoun Brigade as “fuel for Iran’s fires,” Ayatollah Bamiyani asked, “You who speak of jihad, which jihad are you talking about? Jihad has its own rules. It’s not about blindly following anyone who raises the flag of Islam. This is not jihad, this is aggression.”

He pointed out that Afghan youth, lured by promises of jihad, were exploited by others to form these militias, with around 15,000 young Afghan men killed in Syria. He also mentioned how many remain missing or maimed due to their involvement.

Ayatollah Bamiyani warned that Afghan participation in the Syrian war would provoke other nations against Afghanistan. He expressed concern that it could have long-lasting diplomatic and security consequences for his country.

Additionally, Ayatollah Bamiyani accused the Iranian government of racism, alleging that Iran has cultivated a culture of hostility towards migrants, particularly Afghans. He pointed out that the Iranian regime had shifted blame for various issues, from natural disasters to economic hardship, onto Afghan migrants.

He lamented, “The fate of Afghan migrants in Iran is nothing but sorrow, poverty, and suffering,” and raised concerns about the mysterious deaths of many Afghan migrants in Iran. He criticized Iran for restricting Afghan movement and expelling their children from schools, questioning why Iran treated Afghan migrants with such disdain if they truly valued them.

Ayatollah Bamiyani’s statements reflect deep frustration over the exploitation of Afghan migrants by both Iran and external powers. His call for Afghan migrants to reject participation in foreign conflicts, particularly Syria, aims to protect Afghanistan’s sovereignty and prevent further suffering for the Afghan people.

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