World2 min(s) read
Published 14:02 26 Aug 2021 GMT
Taliban to ban music in public and women will need a male chaperone if they travel alone for three days, spokesman says
The chief spokesman for the Taliban has said that music will be forbidden in public and that women will need to be accompanied by a chaperone during trips that last three days or more.
Zabiullah Mujahid announced the rules in an interview with the New York Times, during which he tried to suggest that the movement is a lot more liberal now than when the Taliban first took power in Afghanistan back in 1996.
He told the New York Times: "Music is forbidden in Islam, but we’re hoping that we can persuade people not to do such things, instead of pressuring them."
As reported by the Telegraph, the extremist movement had allowed religious singing during their previous government but deemed other kinds of music to be a distraction.
Radio and TV stations are reportedly no longer playing music, with the exception of Islamic songs - but it is not clear whether this is due to Taliban restrictions, or out of fear that playing secular music could lead to conflict with the militant group.
News of the rule comes despite the Taliban's insistence that they have become more progressive in the last couple of decades.
"We want to build the future, and forget what happened in the past," Mujahid said.
Grave concerns have been expressed over the possibility that the extremists would undo the progress made where the rights of women are concerned.
When the group last seized control of the country, they imposed a number of restrictions on women, who were not permitted to leave their home without a male chaperone and were not allowed to work.
Moreover, girls were restricted from receiving an education.
However, according to the New York Times, Mujahid insisted that any concerns had about the Taliban potentially forcing women to stay at home were unfounded and that the rule on male chaperones was simply misunderstood.
"If they go to school, the office, university, or the hospital, they don’t need a [male guardian]," Mujahid said. However, during trips that last three days or more, women are expected to be accompanied by a chaperone.