Asadullah Saadati, a leading figure of Afghanistan’s Shia community and former Daikundi representative in the fallen republic’s parliament, strongly condemned remarks by Resistance Front member Mohiuddin Mahdi, in which Mahdi denied Afghan identity and insulted the Hazara community. Saadati called on Mahdi to take his statements back and issue a formal apology.
Saadati noted Mahdi’s claim that the Wahdat Party had once appointed Ayatollah Khomeini as the leader of Afghanistan’s Shias as an unfounded accusation and a blatant insult. He stressed that Mahdi must take back the statement and issue an apology.
In addition to this assertion, Mahdi also raised the issue of Hazaras leaving Afghanistan, asserting that the country is not meant for certain ethnic groups.
This is not the first instance of a Resistance Front member or leader making derogatory remarks about Afghanistan’s Shia community or the Hazaras; previous disputes between the two sides have also been widely reported in the media.