KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban authorities in northern Jawzjan province say they have burned 65 musical instruments as part of their enforcement of restrictions on music in the province.
Muhibullah, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Jawzjan, said the instruments were burned on Wednesday, October 7.
He said Taliban morality officials had confiscated the instruments during what he described as “monitoring activities” in Sheberghan, the provincial capital.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have confiscated and destroyed musical instruments in several provinces as part of their enforcement of restrictions on music and other forms of entertainment. The group has also raided wedding and other celebratory gatherings and detained people over playing or listening to music.
The Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has repeatedly enforced restrictions on music. A UNAMA report documented measures taken by the Taliban against music, including instructions issued to drivers not to play music in their vehicles and warnings to wedding halls and hotels against playing music. The report noted that, despite the absence of a single decree explicitly announcing a nationwide general ban on music, the Taliban’s morality authorities have enforced the prohibition through various orders and measures.
The restrictions form part of the Taliban’s broader system of regulating public and private life according to its interpretation of Islamic law. The morality ministry has been given extensive powers to monitor people’s behaviour and enforce the group’s social restrictions. UNAMA has reported that the Taliban’s restrictions on civic space and individual freedoms remain a significant concern and has called for greater respect for human rights and accountability.
The destruction of musical instruments has become a recurring practice under Taliban rule. Videos and statements released by Taliban officials have previously shown instruments being burned or destroyed after being confiscated from musicians, wedding venues and music shops. Musicians and artists have also faced restrictions on performing and working publicly since the Taliban takeover.
The restrictions echo the Taliban’s previous rule from 1996 to 2001, when music, television, films and most forms of entertainment were banned. 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.
