RASC News Agency: Local sources in Takhar province report that the Taliban have arrested five individuals for playing the “Ney” (a traditional flute). The arrests took place today Saturday, October 12, in the districts of Dasht Qala, Rustaq, and Chah Ab of the province. Meanwhile, the Taliban’s police command in Takhar confirmed the event through a statement, adding that a total of 15 people were detained on charges related to “gambling and playing music.”
The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice announced that in the past year alone, more than 21,000 musical instruments have been destroyed. The Taliban has imposed a strict ban on music and the playing of musical instruments across Afghanistan.
These arrests come in stark contrast to the deep-rooted cultural significance of the “Ney”, a symbol of Aryan and Tajik heritage, which has been played for thousands of years by Persian-speaking communities. However, the Taliban, a group deeply embedded in Pashtun tribal culture, consider music forbidden, even when it comes to playing the “Ney”. Emerging from a culture defined by violence, bigotry, and the repression of women, youth, and the arts, the Taliban seek to impose their vision of Pashtun society on Afghanistan.
Their desire is for a society ruled by anger, coercion, and violence one in which the beliefs of over seventy percent of Afghanistan’s population are disregarded. This report emphasizes the sharp cultural divide between the Taliban’s extremist worldview and the rich, diverse traditions of Afghanistan’s non-Pashtun communities.
