Jakarta –
The Taliban government in Afghanistan burns musical instruments which they think can mislead the younger generation and destroy society. The militant group also banned music when it came to power in the late 1990s.
The Taliban religious police reportedly set fire to musical instruments in the Afghan province of Herat, according to a report released Sunday by the state-run Bakhtar news agency.
Sheikh Aziz al-Rahman al-Muhajir, head of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Evil, said music led to “the misguidance of youth and the breakdown of society,” according to the report.
The official also said music can corrupt a person. The Taliban banned non-religious music the last time they ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s.
Images released by the Taliban showed officials gathered around a fire burning various musical instruments, such as guitars, harmoniums and loudspeakers.
Traditionally, Afghanistan has had a strong musical tradition, influenced by Iranian and Indian classical music. The country also has a market in the thriving pop music scene, with the addition of electronic instruments and dance beats to more traditional rhythms.
Both types of music developed over the past 20 years before the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. The Taliban have also implemented a series of crackdowns since seizing control of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US and NATO troops.
Students and teachers of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, once renowned for its inclusivity, have not returned to classes since the Taliban’s takeover of power. Many musicians also left the country.
Taliban restrictions on women continue
Early in their takeover, the Taliban promised a more moderate government than their previous rule in the 1990s. They have promised to protect the rights of women and minorities.
What happen is the contrary. They again imposed a number of harsh restrictions along with their rigid interpretation of Islamic law or Sharia.
They returned to public executions, banned education for women and girls beyond the sixth grade and banned women from working in most occupations.
Earlier this week, the Taliban announced that all beauty salons must be closed for offering services they view as forbidden by Islam. The closure of this beauty salon caused economic hardship for the groom’s family during the wedding celebrations.
The Taliban also reportedly banned taxi drivers from transporting female passengers who were not wearing burqas.
Nearly two years since the Islamist militant Taliban seized power, scores of women in Afghanistan are still resisting orders to cover their faces. Many refuse to wear the burqa and still walk the streets with their faces uncovered.
Last year, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered women to fully cover their faces in public “because this is traditional and respectable,” according to a decree issued in May 2022.
ae/hp (AFP, dpa)
(it/it)
2023-07-31 08:41:34
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