Even before the final US flight left Kabul at midnight on Monday, many of the bright and garish sights and sounds of city life in Afghanistan were changing as those left behind tried to fit in with the tone of their new Taliban rulers.
The Taliban has so far been at pains to show a more conciliatory face to the world, with none of the harsh public punishments and outright bans on public entertainments that characterized their previous time in power before 2001.
Cultural activities are allowed, it says, as long as they do not go against Sharia law and Afghanistan’s Islamic culture.
Photo: AFP
Taliban authorities in Kandahar, the birthplace of the movement, last week issued a formal order against radio stations playing music and female announcers, but for many, no formal order was necessary.
Already, colorful signs outside beauty parlors have been painted over, jeans have been replaced by traditional dress and radio stations have replaced their normal menu of Hindi and Persian pop and call-in shows with somber patriotic music.
“It’s not that the Taliban ordered us to change anything, we have altered the programming for now as we don’t want Taliban to force us to close down,” said Khalid Sediqqi, a producer at a private radio station in the central city of Ghazni.
“Also no one in this country is in the mood for entertainment, we are all in a state of shock,” Sediqqi said. “I am not even sure if anyone is tuning to radio anymore.”
During the 20 years of Western-backed government, a lively popular culture grew up in Kabul and other cities with a mash-up of body building, energy drinks, extravagant sculpted hairstyles and jangly pop songs. Turkish soap operas, call-in programs and television talent shows such as Afghan Star became major hits.
For senior Taliban, many raised in religious madrasahs and with the experience of years of fighting and hardship, the change is overdue.
“Our culture has become toxic, we see Russian and American influence everywhere even in the food we eat, that is something people should realize and make necessary changes,” a Taliban commander said. “This will take time, but it will happen.”
Across the country, the change has been noticeable.
While senior Taliban officials have said repeatedly their forces should treat the population respectfully and not hand out arbitrary punishments, many mistrust them or do not believe they can control the footsoldiers on the streets.
Zarifullah Sahel, a journalist in Laghman Province near Kabul, said that the head of the Taliban’s local cultural commission told the state-run public radio and six other private stations to adjust their programming to ensure it was in line with Shariah law.
Since then music programs and political, cultural and news programming not related to religious issues had dried up.
Even where formal orders have not been issued, the message that the freewheeling era has come to an end and that it is safer not to stand out has been clear.
“I fear the Taliban may target me if I was seen wearing jeans or Western shirts or a suit,” said Mustafa Ali Rahman, a former tax official in Lagman Province.
“One just doesn’t know what they can do to punish us,” he said.
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