Taliban Plans to Convert State Television into Radio Stations, Sources Reveal

A representative from the ministry announced on Saturday that filming and displaying such images in offices or homes contravenes Islamic law.

Under Article 17 of the Taliban’s Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, filming or photographing living beings, or creatures with souls, is prohibited.

The Taliban has officially begun efforts to restrict filming, video recording, and the operations of certain visual media outlets in various provinces. The group asserts that, according to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, photography constitutes a “major sin.”

On Saturday, the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue released a statement on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) featuring remarks from Mohammad Yahya Arif, a Mufti of the ministry. In the statement, Arif declared, “Filming all creatures with souls, including donkeys, dogs, lions, and birds, is forbidden. These images should neither be sold nor purchased, nor should they be kept in homes.”

Addressing the public, the Mufti further noted that “photographing animals like donkeys and birds serves no purpose.”

Arif stressed that “when the Promotion of Virtue declares that images are prohibited and against Sharia, this is not a personal opinion; it is an order derived from Sharia and the teachings of the Prophet of God.”

He called on the public to refrain from photography and the display of images, asserting that these actions are regarded as sinful and would invite “divine punishment.”

Some scholars within the Islamic world have criticised the Taliban’s stance, viewing it as a reflection of their extreme interpretation of Islam. This view contrasts with the interpretations held by other Islamic scholars and institutions, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

There are even scholars who argue that the Taliban’s extremist interpretations contribute to tarnishing the image of Islam.

In line with this stance, the Taliban have classified visual media operations as contrary to Sharia and have officially initiated efforts to close them down. This process began in Kandahar and has since spread to Takhar, where local television stations were ordered to cease operations.

On Saturday, reports emerged suggesting that the Taliban plans to halt broadcasts of Afghanistan’s national television network.

Promoting extremism could have dire consequences for Afghanistan's future, the movement said.

In a statement sent to the media on Friday, October 19, the Purple Saturdays Movement wrote, "The reopening of Taliban-controlled schools, changes in educational content, and changes in the way students dress are far more dangerous than the closure of schools."

In Taliban-controlled schools, students are being taught extremist ideas, the statement said.
The authors of the statement stressed that women in Afghanistan are aware of their legal and human rights and condemn any violation of these rights.

The Purple Saturdays Movement has called for Taliban leaders to be prosecuted for gender apartheid, war crimes, forced migration, human rights abuses and suicide attacks.

The Purple Saturdays Movement is a protest movement by Afghan women protesters that was formed in response to the Taliban's restrictions on women's rights. Members of this movement use various methods of protest to emphasise women's right to education and freedoms and call on the international community to pay more attention to women's rights in Afghanistan.

He stressed that working as a money changer without a licence is considered a "crime" after the law is signed and will be prevented.

So far, the Taliban-controlled Central Bank of Afghanistan has not released the full version of the law.

The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported on Friday (October 19) that the Central Bank of Afghanistan says that the new law has made it easier for money changers to obtain licences. However, Bakhtar has not explained what these facilities are.

‘Three years of dissatisfaction with Taliban's monetary policy’

In the past three years, relations between the Taliban and money changers have been accompanied by numerous dissatisfaction by money changers and the issuance of new orders by the Taliban. The issuance of new Taliban rules has led to frequent protests and arrests of money changers.

Money changers complain that the Taliban has imposed heavy fees for obtaining an exchange licence and they cannot afford to pay it. According to money changers, the Taliban have set a fee of five to six million afghanis for obtaining a licence and three million afghanis for a guarantee. In this way, each money changer must pay 9 million afghanis to the Taliban to obtain a work permit.

In the past three years, the Taliban has repeatedly closed the exchange offices of Herat, Kandahar, Kabul and some other provinces due to lack of licences. The high cost of licences and the imposition of increasing restrictions on money changers have been met with widespread reactions across Afghanistan. They have repeatedly protested and demanded that these problems be addressed.

The organisation called on Norway to join a possible complaint by Germany, the Netherlands and Australia against the Taliban in the International Court of Justice.

In January 2022, Norway provided the Taliban with the opportunity to meet with Western officials in Europe for the first time.

Then, in June this year, Norway and some Western governments responded positively to the Taliban's request to participate in an international conference without the presence of Afghan women.

Citing violations of women's rights in Afghanistan, including bans on education, employment, movement without a male relative, and the use of public places without a male relative, Norway has nevertheless taken a cautious stance toward the Taliban, Human Rights Watch said.

Despite international efforts to hold the Taliban accountable for misogynistic policies, "Norway appears to have joined other countries seeking to establish normal relations with the Taliban," according to the human rights body.

In addition, Human Rights Watch criticised the UN Human Rights Council, saying that it has so far failed to establish a comprehensive accountability mechanism in Afghanistan to document and support all serious crimes, especially crimes against women and girls.

Recently, some countries, including Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, and Canada, have started a process against the Taliban, which may lead to the filing of a case in the International Court of Justice for violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Human Rights Watch called on Norway to join the process, stressing that it should actively support the move if it opposes "double standards in its foreign policy”.

The survey, which was conducted online among about 1,900 refugees between November 2023 and April 2024, adds that Afghans still want to stay in the country despite experiencing discrimination.

The study emphasises that the discrimination that Afghans experience in Germany is linked to their financial situation. Respondents say that people who are financially insecure are less likely to experience a sense of belonging to German society.

Respondents emphasised, "People who are better off financially experience a greater sense of belonging and connection to society."

The survey also says that many Afghans are still in the early stages of integration, but given the situation in Afghanistan, they are likely to remain in Germany in the long term.

The aim of this study is to provide a better understanding of the entry process and transnational communication in the context of Afghans' migration patterns and to provide information about their living conditions.

According to the survey, a percentage of respondents say that at least one close family member lives in Afghanistan, and more than 70 percent communicate with their close family members in Afghanistan on a daily basis or at least once a week.

According to the survey, 68 percent of respondents do not want to return to Afghanistan in the next five to 10 years, while another four percent want to return to Afghanistan during this time.

Bringing family to Germany, learning German, obtaining residency status, and finding housing are the four main problems faced by Afghan refugees in Germany.