Taliban authorities in Afghanistan they were filmed dancing to music – both of which were immediately banned in a draconian crackdown upon their return to power.
The militant group – which has banned music, dancing and any form of public celebration – was filmed swaying and twirling with weapons slung over its shoulders in a park in western Herat.
Shortly after taking power in Afghanistan, the Taliban not only banned music, but also beat and publicly humiliated musicians, the guardians of Afghan cultural traditions that were fast disappearing.
The Taliban’s morality police still patrol the streets day and night, looking for lawbreakers. Afghans caught violating the ban can be beaten or arrested.
The morality police enforce the Taliban’s strict laws, including a strict dress code and gender segregation in society.
However, numerous videos, analyzed by The Telegraph, show the Taliban contradicting their own rules.
In one clip, a group of wrestlers dance while others watch from the top of an abandoned 4×4 vehicle in the US. In another, ordinary people appear to watch as they dance.
A break with Western culture
“When My commander’s son was born, we celebrated by dancing in the courtyard of our police station,” a Taliban official from the southern province of Helmand admitted to The Telegraph.
He explained that many fighters do not believe that dancing is restricted by religion, but the ban is maintained by authorities who want to mark a break with Western culture.
“They intend to intimidate the people and let them know that the Americans have left and that we are in power now,” he said.
An employee of the The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture declined to comment in apparent double standards.
The videos emerged at a time when the government has tightened its iron grip on music and dance in recent weeks, declaring it a vehicle of “moral corruption” that must be eliminated from society.
The draconian policies have even reached personal vehicles, where music is not allowed to be played on the radio.
Checkpoints
Taliban checkpoints have appeared in urban centers and rural roads. Grim-faced, rifle-toting fighters force vehicles to stop if passengers are listening to music.
“They stop me almost daily,” said Reshad, a resident of north Maymana.
“They threatened me, saying I shouldn’t listen to music and should listen to the Quran. Last time, I was taken to a police station for listening to Iranian music in my car.
“They slapped me in the face and said they will hold my car for three weeks,” he said.
Afghan weddings, once vibrant with music and dance, have also been silenced.
The traditional sounds of the dhol drum and harmonium, which for centuries celebrated new unions, are now banned.
Silent weddings
Families are forced to carry out events in silence or with approved religious chants and talks.
Wedding venues, once lively, are now silent and empty. Many have closed because they cannot attract customers for ceremonies.
“About 20 of them invaded my wedding,” said Jalili Ahmad, 28, describing how her wedding in a private garden outside the city of Herat was attacked by the Taliban because of the music and dancing in May.
He and several of his guests were beaten, the women were dispersed and six people, including his father and father-in-law, were detained for 10 days.
“They humiliated us and destroyed the best day of my life,” he said. “They are at war with happiness.”
