Afghan Taliban vow to implement media ban on images of living things

Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the descent into darkness for Afghans—especially Afghan women—has been unrelenting, marked by a deep rejection of humanity and life itself. The regime has escalated its efforts to erase modernity in all its forms. Recently, authorities disclosed plans (and they generally follow through, unfortunately) to bar all media from publishing images of living beings.

Soon, television screens will display only flowers, lifeless landscapes, and perhaps cartoons—though even that remains uncertain. It’s the latest decree from religious extremists, designed to strip the country of vibrancy. Those fortunate enough to escape have already done so, escaping to places like Iran, France, and elsewhere. Only those without the means to escape remain, condemned to endure the suffocating grip of the Taliban.

Journalists in several provinces have already been notified about the upcoming ban on images of living beings, with enforcement expected soon. In this, the Taliban resemble governments worldwide: they know how to soften harsh policies with carefully crafted public relations. But make no mistake—there’s nothing religious about this. It is pure terror, driven by a desire for domination in its most barbaric form.

Not even in the most conservative Islamic republics do we see such absurdity. Yet, Saiful Islam Khyber, spokesman for the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, remains resolute: “The law applies across Afghanistan… and it will be executed gradually,” he says. According to him, images of living beings violate Islamic law.

This, while the government neglects far more pressing “Islamic” issues: health, employment, dignity, security, food, and life itself. But good luck telling that to minds clouded by fanaticism and radicalism that admit no light.

Last summer, the Taliban legislated a law consisting of 35 articles to “promote virtue and prevent vice” among the population—a population that continues to bear the brunt of these measures. This law is in line with the reinstated Sharia rule that has defined Afghanistan since the bearded men ousted those who once dreamed of a different future for the country.

The law contains a slew of restrictions on the media—the eternal enemy of extremists. The most notable is the ban on publishing images of living beings or any content deemed “hostile to Sharia law” or that “humiliates Muslims.” These imagined enemies appear to live only in the fevered minds of these rulers, whose creativity knows no bounds when it comes to oppressing their people.

It’s worth noting that many of these new measures have not yet been enforced with full severity. Even the Taliban authorities regularly post photos of people on social media. But the noose has been tightening since December 2021, when women were forced to wear the Islamic veil, banned from appearing in films and prohibited from travelling alone. By March 2022, girls were barred from attending middle and high schools.