Taliban Quotes
We must prevent music to be broadcasted by the public information resources. In shops, hotels, vehicles and rickshaws cassettes and music are prohibited. This matter should be monitored within five days. If any music cassette found in a shop, the shopkeeper should be imprisoned and the shop locked.
To examine the earlier theological history of the Muslim fundamentalist prohibition against music, see {620334}. What is fascinating is that fundamentalist Muslims differ profoundly on the propriety of music in Islamic society. For example, in Egypt, the largest Middle Eastern Islamic nation, music is not only allowed but has a thriving musical world that generates much music which is enjoyed by Egyptians but others of the Muslim and non-Muslim world. Even in fundamentalist Saudi Arabia and the Theocracy of Iran there is music and a culture of music. Even fundamentalist Islam is not monolithic.
Taliban, Afghanistan Political and Islamic Fundamentalist Movement, Law, General Presidency of Amr Bil Maruf, Kabul December 1996
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Fifty years later, the Taliban of Afghanistan make the fundamentalist prohibition against music the law. See {620308}. Where he got his ‘facts’ about music is unknown, but it does not even comport with Islamic history. The Muslim Ottoman Turks invented the military band and the playing of music to increase men’s courage. It was so effective that virtually every other military on earth adopted the use of a military band playing music. Yet this Ayatiollah claimed music stifled courage and valor.
Abdul Rahman had converted from Islam to Christianity 16 years before. Conversion from Islam is a capital crime under Sharia Law. Rahman was charged but the judge demonstrating the tolerance of Islamic law said that Rahman would be given an opportunity to change his mind and re-embrace Islam and if he did so, he would be converted and not killed.
The OId Testament prohibited Jews from shaving which is why Orthodox Jewish men today wear full beards. Mohammad ordered his followers to keep this commandment of God’s and to the Orthodox Muslim, shaving is wrong. However, the Orthodox Jews do not make a law that every male must not shave…though it is not clear what they might do if they controlled a Jewish theocracy. The Orthodox Jews are the minority in Israel and shaving is not illegal. It is not illegal in most Muslim nations today either.
Abdul Rahman, Afghan citizen, had converted from Islam to Christianity 16 years before. Conversion from Islam is a capital crime under Sharia Law which was the law of Afghanistan even after the Taliban had been overthrown. He was jailed and threatened with death. Statements like this and others made directly to the government persuaded the Afghan politicians to go against their mullahs who demanded the death penalty as is proscribed by Islamic Law—Sharia. The judges tried to get Rahman to recant and he would not (see {589518}). So they finally decided that he must be mentally insane and therefore could not be tried, and the problem was solved that way.
The Taliban opposed all education except orthodox Muslim religious education.
The Taliban (Pashto: طالبان, romanized: ṭālibān, lit. 'students') or Taleban, who refer to themselves as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), are a Sunni Islamist movement and military organisation in Afghanistan currently waging war (an insurgency, or jihad) within that country. Since 2016, the Taliban's leader is Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada.
