KABUL, AFGHANSITAN – Taliban morality police raided a wedding ceremony in eastern Nangarhar province on Wednesday night and detained 14 people for playing music, local sources reported.
According to the sources, the incident occurred in Kama district, Nangarhar province, and those detained were relatives and neighbors of the groom.
Local Taliban authorities have not commented on the incident.
The raid reflects the group’s ongoing crackdown on music, which it considers un-Islamic. Such operations have become increasingly common at private gatherings and wedding parties across the country.
In a similar incident three months ago, Taliban forces detained at least 21 people in northern Afghanistan for playing music at a private party.
Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed some of the world’s strictest restrictions on music. The group has banned it from weddings, public events, radio and television broadcasts, and even private listening in some cases.
Taliban forces have also carried out widespread confiscations of musical instruments. Two months ago, the group’s morality police burned 829 instruments along with images of living beings in southern Khost province.
The restrictions have devastated Afghanistan’s music sector, which had experienced significant growth during the two decades before the Taliban takeover. Hundreds of musicians, performers, and music teachers have left the country since 2021, while many of those who remain have abandoned their careers and continue to face risks of intimidation, abuse, and arrest.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly expressed concern over the Taliban’s restrictions on cultural activities, arguing that they have significantly narrowed the space for artistic expression and public entertainment in the country.
During their previous rule from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban imposed similar bans on music, television, films, and many forms of entertainment. Following their return to power, many of those restrictions have been reintroduced, making Afghanistan the only country in the world where music is effectively prohibited nationwide.
