Guitar, tabla, speakers and more go up in flames in Taliban bonfire; deem music 'immoral' in Afghanistan

Over the weekend, authorities from Afghanistan's vice ministry carried out a disturbing act in Herat province, burning confiscated musical instruments and equipment, citing music as immoral. "Promoting music causes moral corruption and playing it will cause the youth to go astray," said Aziz al-Rahman al-Muhajir, head of the Herat department of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

Since the Taliban took control of the country in August 2021, they have been steadily implementing strict laws and regulations aligned with their austere interpretation of Islam, including banning public music performances.

During the bonfire event on Saturday, hundreds of dollars worth of musical gear, collected from wedding halls in the city, were set ablaze. The items destroyed included a guitar, two other stringed instruments, a harmonium, a tabla (a type of drum), as well as amplifiers and speakers.

The impact of the new government regulations has disproportionately affected women, who now face severe restrictions on their daily lives. They are required to wear a hijab when in public, and teenage girls and women have been barred from attending schools and universities. Furthermore, they are prohibited from entering parks, playgrounds, and gyms.

In another recent development, thousands of beauty salons across the country were forcibly closed by the authorities as they considered certain makeovers to be either too costly or deemed un-Islamic.

The Taliban's strict implementation of their version of Islamic law has led to concerns and widespread criticism, particularly regarding the curtailment of personal freedoms and the violation of women's rights.

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• Afghanistan
• Taliban
• Music