Afghanistan: Taliban bans video games, music, foreign films in Herat

The draconian Taliban Government which came to the forefront post the withdrawal of the US in August 2021 has outlawed playing video games, watching foreign movies, and playing music.

The decision was first implemented in Herat, a city in Western Afghanistan. More than 400 firms have been shut down as a result of the sudden ban enforced by the Ministry for Prevention of Vices and Promotion of Virtue.

The primary rationale behind this step is that all of the above-mentioned activities are considered anti-Islamic.

Maulana Azizur Rahman Mohajir, the Minister of Prevention of Vice, stated that this had been done as many parents were complaining about their children wasting too much time playing video games. The shops which have been closed are Indian and Western values and culture which is in high contrast to the Afghan Culture.

Concerning films, they said the films which were being sold out portrayed women not wearing hijabs which is against Sharia. That is why the sale of such films has been prohibited by the Taliban government.
Earlier on April 10, Taliban barred the entry of families and women into restaurants with gardens or green spaces in Herat province, Afghanistan, reported Fox News.

The decision came after religious clerics complained of mixing genders in such places. Afghan officials said that the curbs had been brought in place because of gender mixing or because women allegedly are not wearing the hijab. The official said the ban was restricted only to restaurants with green areas, such as parks, where men and women could meet.

The outdoor dining ban only applies to establishments in Herat, where such premises remain open to men. Baz Mohammad Nazir, a deputy official from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue’s directorate in Herat, denied media reports that all restaurants were off limits to families and women, dismissing them as propaganda, reported Fox News.

Azizurrahman Al Muhajir, who is head of the Vice and Virtue directorate in Herat, said, “It was like a park but they named it a restaurant and men and women were together. Thank God it has been corrected now. Also, our auditors are observing all the parks where men and women go.”

In October 2022, the Taliban banned Hookah facilities across the nation. Smoking hookah is a favourite pastime for Afghan men. Additionally, they placed restrictions on eateries owned by women in the city of Herat on May 2022. The men and women cannot dine together in the eateries.

Since the Taliban took over in 2021, they have imposed several draconian and obtuse decisions which have undermined women’s rights. They have shut girls out of classrooms beyond the sixth grade and women from universities.

The Taliban promised to reopen all schools on March 23 this year, but instead, they closed secondary institutions for girls on that day. There is still no word on when or if these schools will reopen or if the ban is indefinite. Most types of employment, including jobs at the United Nations. They are also banned from public spaces such as parks and gyms.