Akhund described famine as a “great test of Allah” that has arrived because “the servants have begun to rebel against Allah.”
“May Allah Almighty help us to cry out to Allah Almighty and solve our problems,” he continued.
Akhund described gratitude to the Taliban, presumably for establishing radical jihadist rule in the country, as “obligatory” and insisted the Taliban have no responsibility for any problems in the country.
“There are cries of unemployment and, with the advent of the Emirate [the Taliban rule], prices have skyrocketed … would it be fair to associate this price hike with the Emirate?” he asked. “Did the famine come with the Emirate or did it already exist in this country?”
“God forbid that you should be suspicious of such a blessed system, security and government, or that a useless word should be uttered about it,” Akhund warned, “God Almighty will be displeased with you.”
“If we do not give thanks for this blessing, Allah will punish us severely,” he concluded.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) newspaper
The National reported many Afghans were outraged by the demand to absolve the Taliban of association with the country’s problems and Akhund’s lack of actionable tasks in his messaging – he notably did not mention anything the Taliban was actually doing to alleviate famine concerns.