KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — Taliban authorities in northern Afghanistan have detained 14 individuals for engaging in musical activities, which have been increasingly restricted since the group’s ascent to power, according to provincial police on Saturday.
Since regaining control in 2021, the Taliban government has progressively implemented laws and regulations aligning with their strict interpretation of Islamic law. This includes a clampdown on public music, encompassing live performances, music at gatherings and in restaurants and vehicles, as well as its broadcast on radio and television.
In a statement, the police reported that on Thursday night in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province, “fourteen individuals… took advantage of the nighttime to gather in a residential house where they were playing musical instruments and singing songs, which caused disturbance to the public.”
The statement further noted that those arrested were currently under investigation.
Following their takeover, Taliban authorities closed music schools and confiscated or destroyed musical instruments and sound systems, asserting that music promotes “moral corruption” and public disorder.
Wedding venues are now prohibited from playing music, although segregated women’s areas often continue to do so discreetly.
Many Afghan musicians have fled the country since the Taliban’s return, driven by fear or the loss of their livelihoods in a nation already facing significant economic challenges.
Taliban authorities have encouraged former musicians to redirect their skills towards Islamic poetry and unaccompanied vocal chants, the only forms of music permitted during their previous rule from 1996 to 2001.
