KABUL: The Taliban’s interim government in Afghanistan has introduced strict regulations on poetry and literary gatherings, banning verses on themes such as love, friendship, and freedom of expression.
According to foreign media, the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has announced the enforcement of a new law titled “Code of Conduct for Poetry and Mushairas”. The code, comprising 13 articles, restricts poets from writing or reciting poetry about relationships between boys and girls, love, or personal freedoms.
Under the new rules, poets will instead be required to adhere to guidelines that promote praise of Taliban leadership and avoid any material deemed critical of the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
The law, signed and approved by Akhundzada, also prohibits criticism of the Taliban leader, poetry or writings considered disrespectful to Islamic values, content encouraging ethnic or linguistic divisions, and the promotion of what authorities call “immoral traditions.”
Furthermore, all poetry events, including mushairas and literary gatherings, will now require official approval from the Ministry of Information and Culture.
The move has raised concerns among Afghan writers and intellectuals who fear that the country’s centuries-old poetic tradition, known for its themes of romance, mysticism, and social critique, will face unprecedented restrictions.
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