As per a report by BBC, After taking control in 2021, the Taliban has imposed several restrictions, one of which includes a prohibition on public music performances. Ahmad Sarmast, the Afghanistan National Institute of Music’s founder, condemned these measures, comparing them to acts of “cultural genocide and musical vandalism.”

Ahmad Sarmast, Afghanistan National Institute of Music founder, said to BBC that the actions are “cultural genocide and musical vandalism”.

“The people of Afghanistan have been denied artistic freedom… The burning of musical instruments in Herat is just a small example of the cultural genocide that is taking place in Afghanistan under the leadership of the Taliban,” Dr Sarmast, who is now based in Portugal, told the BBC.

Various items, including a guitar, a harmonium, a tabla (a type of drum), as well as amplifiers and speakers, were set on fire in Herat. These items had been confiscated from wedding venues in the city, as depicted in images available online.

The report noted that an official at the Taliban’s Vice and Virtue Ministry expressed playing music would “cause the youth to go astray”.

On 19 July, the Taliban organized a comparable bonfire of musical instruments, and images of the event were shared on their government’s Twitter account. However, the specific location of the incident was not disclosed in the posts.

During their previous rule in Afghanistan from the mid-90s to 2001, the Taliban enforced a complete ban on all forms of music at social gatherings, on television, and radio.

Over the last two years, the Taliban has imposed numerous severe restrictions based on their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

BBC further reported that these restrictions have disproportionately affected women, with the Taliban mandating that they should only reveal their eyes in their attire and must be accompanied by a male relative when travelling more than 72 km (45 miles).

Meanwhile, beauty salons in Afghanistan are facing closure after the Taliban announced a ban, citing religious reasons and concerns about their impact on wedding expenses. The announcement came after a one-month deadline. Although the Taliban did not specify the consequences for non-compliance, rare public opposition was seen.

Beauty salons, according to the Taliban-run Virtue and Vice Ministry, offered services deemed forbidden in Islam, including eyebrow shaping, using others’ hair for hair augmentation and applying makeup, which they believe interferes with the ablutions required before prayer.

(With inputs from agencies)

Updated: 01 Aug 2023, 01:09 PM IST