Taliban who have been blowing the trumpet of being the soldiers and strict followers of Islam have been utilizing this religion as a tool to reach their bloody objectives. On Sunday, a suicide bomber attacked funeral of a tribal elder in Takhar province, killed at least 20 people (including an MP, Abdul MutalibBaik) and injured 50 others. The suicide bomber was no one else, but a Mullah (cleric) who had been performing religious duties in one of the mosques in Takhar, an MP has claimed.

Abdul Sattar Darzabi, an MP from Jawzjan, in a press conference along with other MPs on Monday said, "The suicide bomber was Mullah Shah Muhammad who had been providing religious services as Pesh Imam (one who leads prayers) for the last six months in a mosque located in TarmaBai area of Takhar province." This is counted as a failure of the intelligence and security forces of Afghanistan.

In February, the National Directorate of Security arrested five people including Imams of two mosques – mosques in district 10th and Poli-e-Charkhi areas of Kabul – in connection with planning terror attacks. The arrestees had admitted that they had organized 28 January attack on a super market in Wazir Akbar Khan area and had on mind to launch attacks in Shashdarak.

Using mosque and maddrassa for terror activities is an action against Islam and the Muslims but the trend is growing. Mosques are deemed the most sacred places in Islam. People gather in mosques five times a day to offer prayers. Besides that, most of the religious activities take place here.

Mosques are not only places for worship but also help people remain united and decide about important issues concerning them. In Afghanistan, people are all fully aware of the dignity of mosques as almost 99.9 percent of population here stands to be Muslims.

The using of mosques by insurgents signals lack of control and oversight by government. There is need for public awareness programs to open mind of the people and making them understand that they should not allow their mosques to be used by unknown people.

Before accepting a cleric as Pesh-imam of a mosque or allowing individuals to use a mosque as their accommodation, there should be a complete background check. The government needs to prepare certain procedures and regulations in this regard. Every man with beard and turban cannot be a cleric or imam.