RASC News Agency: The British newspaper, Telegraph, has reported that several Taliban officials were filmed dancing to music. These videos show officials playing music, dancing, and twirling. This revelation is particularly striking given the Taliban’s strict regulations that deem both dancing and music forbidden, claiming that listening to music is illegitimate and sows discord.
The Telegraph detailed how Taliban officials were filmed in a park in Herat, armed, and swaying to music. The newspaper’s footage captures various scenes of Taliban militants dancing joyfully to music, with photos also showing members in mid-dance. The report highlights numerous videos showing Taliban members acting contrary to their own regulations. In one instance, some Taliban fighters are seen dancing while others watch from an American military vehicle. Another video shows Taliban fighters dancing in the presence of ordinary onlookers.
A Taliban official from Helmand Province was quoted as saying, “When my commander’s son was born, we celebrated by dancing in the courtyard of our checkpoint.” The official added that many Taliban fighters do not believe their religion forbids dancing, but the group’s leaders have banned it to distance themselves from Western culture. This Taliban member told the Telegraph, “Their aim is to instill fear and make people understand that the Americans are gone, and we are now in power.”
Despite this, the Taliban view music and dancing as causes of “moral corruption,” banning music even in private vehicles. Taliban fighters at urban and rural checkpoints stop travelers listening to music. The Telegraph reported a citizen from Maimana saying the Taliban stops him daily for listening to music. “They threatened me, saying I should listen to the Quran instead. Last time, they took me to a police checkpoint for listening to Iranian music in my car, slapped me, and threatened to impound my car for three days,” Rashad said.
According to the Telegraph, Afghanistani wedding celebrations, once lively with music and dance, have now fallen silent, conducted either in silence or with religious chants. The sounds of traditional drums and harmoniums, which had echoed through festivities for centuries, are now illegal. Wedding halls have become empty and quiet, with many closing down due to a lack of patrons.
These videos of Taliban dancing emerge while their fighters have repeatedly been seen destroying musical instruments and assaulting singers and musicians.
