Afghan Taxi Drivers Defy Taliban Music Ban in Kabul
· World · Hindustan Times, Al Jazeera
Afghan taxi drivers in Kabul are quietly pushing back against the Taliban's strict ban on music by playing songs in their vehicles despite the risk of punishment. Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban has limited public venues to approved religious and patriotic tracks under regulations enforced by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Drivers who are caught playing music face harassment from morality police stationed at checkpoints, with USB drives and memory cards often confiscated or smashed. Despite these risks, some motorists view playing music as a personal form of protest and a way to preserve local culture. The exact scale of compliance among drivers across the capital remains difficult to verify.
Why it matters
The daily restrictions imposed by the Taliban continue to suppress cultural expression for everyday citizens, turning routine activities like listening to music in a car into acts of defiance.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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