Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, they have imposed stringent restrictions on various forms of cultural expression, with music and singing at the forefront of their bans. The group, adhering to its interpretation of Sharia law, has declared that music is haram (forbidden), forcing artists to abandon their craft.

In the months following their takeover, the Taliban issued statements warning musicians and performers to seek alternative employment or face severe consequences. This crackdown has had a devastating impact on the country’s rich musical heritage, with musicians across Afghanistan left in a state of fear and uncertainty.

Afghanistan, under the rule of the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate, stands out as perhaps the only country in the world where music and singing are entirely forbidden. The regime’s hostility toward music has been extreme and violent.

Beyond banning performances, the Taliban has systematically destroyed musical instruments in a display of their disdain for artistic expression. Images circulated on social media show Taliban fighters burning harmoniums, tablas, guitars, pianos, robabs, and drums, along with DJ systems, speakers, and other equipment associated with music.

Reduced to ashes

The destruction of these instruments is part of a broader move to erase music from the country’s cultural landscape entirely.

The Taliban’s intolerance extends beyond the instruments themselves. Local radio stations, particularly those in rural areas, have been forbidden from playing music or broadcasting the voices of women, who are also banned from public singing or speaking. Reports on social media indicate that violators of these rules are frequently subjected to brutal beatings, reinforcing the climate of fear that now pervades Afghanistan’s artistic community.

In Herat, one of Afghanistan’s most historically significant cities, musicians watched helplessly as their beloved instruments were reduced to ashes. In one instance, a widely circulated image showed Taliban members gleefully setting fire to instruments in the streets, sending a stark message to those who might still dare to practice music in secret.

Women primary targets

This violent suppression is enshrined in the Taliban’s newly introduced legal framework, particularly through the « Law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice”, officially enacted in August 2024. Spanning over 100 pages, this law introduces a host of draconian regulations governing the behavior of Afghanistan citizens, with women being its primary targets.

Under these rules, women are prohibited from raising their voices in public, reciting poetry, or singing outside their homes. They are also forbidden from making eye contact with men who are not their husbands or immediate family members and are required to cover the lower half of their faces in addition to the already strict dress code imposed by the Taliban.

While women bear the brunt of these new restrictions, the law also criminalizes other activities deemed « un-Islamic » by the Taliban, including premarital sex, homosexuality, alcohol consumption, gambling, and the celebration of non-Muslim holidays such as Norouz, the Persian New Year. For men, the laws prohibit shaving beards, wearing Western clothing such as neckties, or receiving haircuts that violate the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

The Taliban’s brutal enforcement of their ban on music has not only led to the destruction of Afghanistan’s musical instruments but has also resulted in the harassment, torture, imprisonment, and even the execution of local artists. Several musicians in Kabul, Paktika, Panjshir, Takhar, Nuristan, Badakhshan, and other provinces have faced deadly repercussions for continuing their craft in secret. The Taliban has raided homes, arrested musicians, and publicly burned their instruments to humiliate and degrade them. In some instances, artists have been executed after being abducted from their homes.

Deliberate executions

One of the most chilling examples occurred in the early weeks of the Taliban’s return to power when local artist and Ghichak player Fauad Andarabi was shot and killed by Taliban militants. Similarly, well-known vocalist Muslim Nuristani and his brother were assassinated, as was Sher Shah Nadri, a prominent guitar player. These killings were not the result of military operations but were deliberate executions carried out by the Taliban.

In an alarming escalation of the crackdown, disturbing video footage has surfaced on social media, depicting musicians being paraded with broken instruments hung around their necks, a macabre symbol of the Taliban’s disdain for music. Other videos show instruments being burned and artists being publicly humiliated, sending a chilling warning to anyone considering defiance.

Despite these harsh measures, some Afghans have found ways to resist. Two sisters from Afghanistan, Rabia Joya and Nargis Joya allonym, who now live in France, have spoken out against the Taliban’s oppression. They secretly launched a movement called « The Last Torch » (« Ahkherein Mashal ») to raise their voices through protest songs. In a phone conversation, Reshmin recalled the fear they felt when releasing their first song after the Taliban’s return to power. Covered in burqas to conceal their identities, the sisters released their music online, knowing full well the potential consequences if they were discovered. Despite the danger, they felt compelled to speak out and use music as a form of resistance.

Use music to raise awareness

Many other musicians have been forced into exile, unable to continue their careers under the Taliban’s regime. Ziba Hamidi, Afghanistan’s first female rap singer who gained fame through the Afghanistan Star programme on Tolo TV, had to flee to Germany following the Taliban’s rise to power. In a meeting with an Express reporter, she recounted the challenges she faced in pursuing music, including opposition from her own family.

Despite these difficulties, Ziba used her music to raise awareness of the injustices Afghanistan’s women faced before the Taliban’s takeover. Now, she continues to support Afghanistan’s women in their fight against the regime, speaking out on behalf of those who remain silenced under Taliban rule.

The impact of the Taliban’s strict enforcement of Sharia law on daily life in Afghanistan has been profound. Women and girls are no longer allowed to attend schools or universities, and bans on work and sports have left many suffering from severe psychological distress. Reports have surfaced of young people committing suicide due to the overwhelming sense of hopelessness that permeates their lives under Taliban rule.

« A massacre of Afghanistan art and music. »

The Taliban’s violent approach to suppressing music was also on full display in Takhar province, where militants stormed a wedding, beating female musicians who were performing for the female guests. The violence didn’t stop there. In Surkhrod district, Nangarhar province, Taliban fighters attempted to break speakers at another wedding, only for the situation to escalate into a gun battle. At least two people were killed, and ten others injured after the Taliban opened fire when guests attempted to intervene.

Even more recently, Tolo News reported that six individuals were arrested on charges of playing and listening to music, reinforcing the Taliban’s relentless pursuit of cultural suppression. The Afghanistan National Institute of Music, a once-vibrant institution that nurtured the country’s young musical talent, has been shut down since the Taliban’s return to power. Its founder, Ahmad Sarmast, described the Taliban’s actions as nothing short of a « massacre of Afghanistan art and music ».

In the aftermath of the fall of the previous government, Sarmast managed to relocate the Zohra Orchestra, an all-female ensemble, to Portugal. The group has since performed in various European cities and the United States, continuing to keep the spirit of Afghanistan’s music alive abroad.

« An attack on the identity and memory of a people. »

International organisations have condemned the Taliban’s destruction of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage, with UNESCO expressing deep concern over the loss. Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s Director-General, stated that « the destruction of cultural heritage is an attack on the identity and memory of a people”. She called upon the global community to stand in solidarity with the Afghanistan people in preserving their cultural diversity and ensuring that their artistic expressions are not entirely extinguished.

The Taliban’s relentless campaign against music reflects their broader strategy of enforcing a rigid and intolerant version of Sharia law that seeks to eliminate any form of cultural expression that they deem un-Islamic.

While music may have been silenced in Afghanistan for now, the resilience of its artists, both inside and outside the country, ensures that this vital aspect of Afghanistan’s culture will not be completely erased.

However, the road ahead remains fraught with challenges, as Afghanistan’s musicians continue to grapple with the reality of life under the Taliban’s harsh rule.