Abdul Rauf (anti-Taliban cleric)

Abdul Rauf
Nationality	Afghanistan
Occupation	Imam
Known for	criticizing the Taliban

Mullah Abdul Rauf is a citizen of Afghanistan and an anti-Taliban cleric. Rauf was quoted by the Washington Post on December 7, 2001.^{[1] [2]} He is the imam at the Herati Mosque, a mosque in Kabul. He is notable for preaching against Taliban excesses.

In 2006 The Times quoted Abdul Rauf on music.^[3] Under the Taliban, all musical expression was prohibited. Abdul Rauf said while musical expression was allowed, enjoyment of music was not. Singing about women or violence should remain prohibited.

In March 2006, the Washington Post quoted Abdul Rauf calling for the execution of Abdul Rahman, a convert from Islam to Christianity.^[4]

References

1. Pamela Constable (2001-12-07). "In Kabul few tears are shed for the Taliban". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04. Instead, a moderate cleric delivered a fiery, sarcastic eulogy to the Taliban era as several thousand listeners overflowed his mosque.
2. "The End of the Taliban Reign of Terror in Afghanistan". Archived from the original on 2010-03-04. In Kabul on December 7, Mullah Abdul Rauf, in his Friday sermon at a Kabul mosque, said Taliban rule was repressive, and humiliated people. Of the Taliban's Mullah Omar he said: "In the Taliban days, there was a leader of the faithful who sat in Kandahar, not having the faintest idea about the people who were in poverty, who were killed, whose houses were burned, whose children died of hunger. And still he claimed to be a leader of Islam and a leader of his country."
3. "Singing about women critised [sic] by imam". Freemuse. 2006-05-08. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04. Music is not banned in Islam, but to get enjoyment from music is banned. Singing about women and guns is certainly not allowed.
4. "Afghan Judge Resists Pressure In Convert Case". Washington Post. 2006-03-25. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04. Senior clerics condemned Rahman as an apostate. Rahman had "committed the greatest sin" by converting to Christianity and deserved to be killed, cleric Abdul Rauf said in a sermon Friday at Herati Mosque. "God's way is the right way, and this man whose name is Abdul Rahman is an apostate," he told about 150 worshipers.