KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s morality police have detained seven people, including the groom, after raiding a wedding party in eastern Nangarhar province for playing music.
Local sources said the incident occurred on Monday night, May 5, in Surkh Rod district. Taliban enforcers stormed the ceremony, destroyed the music equipment, and took the groom and six other attendees into custody.
According to the sources, the detainees were released the following morning after spending one night in jail. They were freed on the condition that they would not play music again.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed a strict ban on music at weddings and public events, arguing that music promotes “moral corruption.” Violators face arrests, fines, and even torture.
In a similar incident last year, a wedding in Badakhshan province turned violent when the Taliban’s morality police raided the event. A teenage girl and an elderly man were injured, and the groom was fined 30,000 Afghanis (about $450).
Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where music is banned. The Taliban had imposed similar restrictions during their first rule in the late 1990s.
Since 2021, thousands of musical instruments and sound equipment have been seized and publicly burned. Music broadcasts on radio and TV have been halted, and many stations shut down for violating the ban.
The crackdown has forced hundreds of musicians to flee the country. Those who stayed have been forced into silence and live under constant threat of arrest, abuse, or worse.
