Taliban officials set musical instruments ablaze in Afghanistan, cites immorality

Herat: Taliban authorities from Afghanistan's vice ministry conducted a bonfire in Herat province, burning confiscated musical instruments and equipment over the weekend. The officials deemed music immoral and believed that promoting it could lead the youth astray.

"Promoting music causes moral corruption and playing it will cause the youth to go astray," stated Aziz al-Rahman al-Muhajir, the head of the Herat department of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

Since taking control of the country in August 2021, the Taliban has been enforcing stringent laws and regulations aligned with their austere version of Islam. One of the measures imposed includes a ban on playing music in public.

During the bonfire event on Saturday, hundreds of dollars worth of musical gear, collected mainly from wedding halls in the city, went up in flames. The burned items included a guitar, two other stringed instruments, a harmonium, a tabla, as well as amplifiers and speakers, reported AFP.

The Taliban's rules have disproportionately affected women, who have faced severe restrictions under the new government. Women are now required to wear a hijab in public, and teenage girls and women have been barred from attending schools and universities. They are also prohibited from entering parks, playgrounds, and gyms.

Last week, the Taliban ordered the closure of thousands of beauty salons across the country, deeming certain makeovers as too costly or un-Islamic.

The Taliban's actions since assuming power have drawn widespread criticism and concern from the international community, who fear the severe curtailment of human rights and freedom of expression in Afghanistan. The ban on music and other repressive measures have sparked outrage and further highlighted the challenges faced by the Afghan people, especially women, under the new regime.