Afghan musicians risk punishment to keep traditional music alive
Despite a ban on non‑religious music since 2022, Afghan artists continue to practice and preserve their heritage in secret.
By Felo News Desk · Published
In Kabul, Afghanistan, musicians are secretly preserving traditional music despite a ban on non‑religious music that the Taliban have enforced since 2022, according to reports from the Winnipeg Free Press and The Independent.
What happened
The Taliban, who seized power in 2021, prohibit all music except unaccompanied religious chanting. The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice enforces the ban, with its morality police destroying instruments and punishing listeners. Since the ban took effect, many musicians fled the country, while those who stayed either sent their instruments abroad or hid them in homes and shops. A former shop owner, now working as a manual labourer, was photographed holding a rubab on 11 October 2026; the image was supplied by AP.
What the reports add
Both outlets cite ministry spokesperson Saif ul Islam Khyber, who described music as a satanic source of joy that can lead to other vices and said no one may listen to or record it. The Winnipeg Free Press notes that the ban has forced musicians to abandon their livelihoods overnight across the country, while The Independent includes personal testimonies: a rubab player who said, “As long as I am alive, I will continue to play,” and a singer who described covering his instruments as feeling “like being buried alive.” The singer also listed the hidden instruments – a rubab, harmonium, flute, tabla and keyboard – and expressed that without music he feels “like a soulless corpse.”
What was said
“Music is forbidden in Islam,” ministry spokesperson Saif ul Islam Khyber told reporters, adding that it “serves as a means of joy to Satan” and often leads to other vices.
“As long as I am alive, I will continue to play,” said one anonymous rubab player, pledging to keep the tradition alive in secret.
“For now, music may not be performed openly, but no one can ever erase it from our hearts,” said an unnamed singer, who also said covering his instruments felt “as if I had been buried alive.”
How it came about
The ban follows the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, which ended a decades‑long tradition of vibrant street music in Kabul. The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, through its morality police, has systematically confiscated or destroyed musical equipment, turning former music‑shop neighbourhoods like Kucha‑e‑Kharabat into venues for food, clothing and other non‑musical goods. The crackdown prompted a mass exodus of artists and left those who remained to hide their instruments and practice in secrecy.
Key facts
- Afghanistan has banned playing or listening to non‑religious music since 2022. (winnipegfreepress.com)
- Taliban’s morality police enforce the ban and destroy instruments. (independent.co.uk)
- Ministry spokesperson Saif ul Islam Khyber said music serves as a means of joy to Satan. (winnipegfreepress.com)
- Former music shops in Kabul’s Kucha‑e‑Kharabat now sell non‑musical goods. (independent.co.uk)
