Taliban to Prohibit Images of "Living Things"
The Islamist group governing Afghanistan is aiming to enforce stringent Sharia law throughout the nation. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The Taliban, the Islamist group in control of Afghanistan, is endeavoring to implement strict Sharia law throughout the nation.
As part of this broader initiative, the Taliban has pledged to impose a ban on images depicting humans and animals in Afghani media. Despite initially assuring a more moderate approach following their takeover in 2021, the group has since enacted various restrictions. These include the eradication of images of women from public view and prohibitions on “immoral” films and musical instruments.
“The law applies to all Afghanistan... and it will be implemented gradually,” stated Saiful Islam Khyber, spokesman for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, in an interview with AFP on Monday.
Khyber asserted that “coercion has no place in the implementation of the law,” explaining that officials aim to encourage the public to understand that the portrayal of living beings is “really contrary” to Islamic law.
Although Taliban officials, government agencies, and media outlets in Afghanistan continue to share images of people online, Khyber mentioned that the Afghan authorities have begun working on implementing restrictions in certain provinces.
In Kandahar province, officials have previously prohibited photographing or filming “living things,” however, this rule did not extend to the media sector. In February 2024, AFP reported that Mohammad Hashem Shaheed Wror, a senior official from the Justice Ministry, had instructed staff that “taking pictures is a major sin.”
Having governed much of war-torn Afghanistan during the 1990s, the Taliban was ousted from major cities in 2001 following a U.S.-led invasion triggered by the 9/11 attacks. The group waged a 20-year guerrilla warfare campaign against American forces and the UN-backed government in Kabul, eventually regaining control of the Afghan capital during the last phase of Western troop withdrawals in August 2021, which led President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country.
Although the Taliban government has not received recognition from the UN, it maintains operational relationships with several nations, including Russia.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
As part of this broader initiative, the Taliban has pledged to impose a ban on images depicting humans and animals in Afghani media. Despite initially assuring a more moderate approach following their takeover in 2021, the group has since enacted various restrictions. These include the eradication of images of women from public view and prohibitions on “immoral” films and musical instruments.
“The law applies to all Afghanistan... and it will be implemented gradually,” stated Saiful Islam Khyber, spokesman for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, in an interview with AFP on Monday.
Khyber asserted that “coercion has no place in the implementation of the law,” explaining that officials aim to encourage the public to understand that the portrayal of living beings is “really contrary” to Islamic law.
Although Taliban officials, government agencies, and media outlets in Afghanistan continue to share images of people online, Khyber mentioned that the Afghan authorities have begun working on implementing restrictions in certain provinces.
In Kandahar province, officials have previously prohibited photographing or filming “living things,” however, this rule did not extend to the media sector. In February 2024, AFP reported that Mohammad Hashem Shaheed Wror, a senior official from the Justice Ministry, had instructed staff that “taking pictures is a major sin.”
Having governed much of war-torn Afghanistan during the 1990s, the Taliban was ousted from major cities in 2001 following a U.S.-led invasion triggered by the 9/11 attacks. The group waged a 20-year guerrilla warfare campaign against American forces and the UN-backed government in Kabul, eventually regaining control of the Afghan capital during the last phase of Western troop withdrawals in August 2021, which led President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country.
Although the Taliban government has not received recognition from the UN, it maintains operational relationships with several nations, including Russia.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
