The Taliban's morality police in Afghanistan said Tuesday (Aug. 20) they have “confiscated and destroyed” more than 21,000 musical instruments over the past year as part of a crackdown on what they call anti-Islamic practices.
Officials from the Ministry of Propaganda of Virtue and Prevention of Vice discussed their “annual performance” at a press conference in Kabul a day after Taliban authorities publicly burned hundreds of musical instruments near Parwan province.
The province's Moral Police also appealed to residents not to use musical instruments at weddings and other celebrations.
Speaking in the Afghan capital on Tuesday (20/8), ministry officials claimed to have destroyed thousands of immoral films and blocked many more from being viewed on personal computers nationwide “as part of the societal reforms” carried out by the Taliban government.
The ministry said without going into specifics that it had “successfully implemented 90 percent of reforms in the audio, visual and print media sector” in Afghanistan.
Free media advocacy groups and local journalists say Taliban leaders have significantly restricted press freedom and access to information in the country.
The Taliban revived the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to safeguard public morality after retaking control of the impoverished and war-torn South Asian country three years ago as all US-led Western troops withdrew from Afghanistan following their involvement in the nearly two-decade-long war.
The ministry has introduced strict guidelines for local media professionals, requiring female presenters and guests to adhere to an “Islamic” dress code on air so that only their eyes are visible.
Women are banned from working on national radio and television stations, and dramas featuring female actors are banned. The Afghan government has also implemented de facto strict “gender segregation” in the workplace in general.
Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, head of the Ministry of Propaganda of Good and Prevention of Vice, was quoted by state media as saying Monday that the Taliban “are determined to implement Islamic Sharia and no pressure from anyone is acceptable in this regard.”
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said last month that the Taliban’s morality police were contributing to a “climate of fear and intimidation” among the population. UNAMA also identified the ministry as a major human rights violator in the Taliban government, which is not recognized by any country.
The UN report noted that the de facto ministry’s activities had “a negative impact on human rights and fundamental freedoms in Afghanistan, with a disproportionate and discriminatory impact on women.”
The morality police department has banned women's beauty salons, prohibited women from traveling without a male guardian more than 78 kilometers from their home, and prohibited them from visiting parks, gyms and public baths. (about/after)
