((c)AfghanistanNationalInstituteofMusic)

The Taliban has burned musical instruments in Afghanistan noting that music is the cause of moral corruption.

According to the BBC, numerous instruments were burned on Saturday, July 29 in the western Herat province. Among the instruments were guitars, a harmonium, and a tabla, as well as amplifiers and speakers.

According to the Taliban’s Vice and Virtue Ministry, music causes the youth to get off course. Since the Taliban took back its power in 2021, the regime has imposed restrictions on displaying music in public.

During the height of the regime from the mid-90s until 2001, the Taliban banned all forms of music in social gatherings, TV, and radio.

Following the downfall of the regime, a music scene flourished and the Afghanistan National Institute of Music was founded in 2010. However, it closed in 2021 and some students returned their instruments in fear of retribution from the new regime. It was even reported that musicians burned and hid their instruments.