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full screen Taliban fighters celebrating the third anniversary of the fundamentalist movement’s seizure of power in Afghanistan in August. Photo: Abdul Khaliq/AP/TT
The Taliban’s laws and regulations – such as music bans – lead to friction in diplomatic relations.
Twice in one week, representatives of Afghanistan have been accused of disrespecting countries’ national anthems.
It was last Friday that Iran summoned the head of Afghanistan’s embassy in the country. The reason: An Afghan delegate had not stood during Iran’s national anthem at a conference in Tehran on Islamic unity.
Iran believes that the behavior shows that the person does not respect Iran’s national anthem. The action is condemned and called “unacceptable”.
“Besides the obvious necessity for the guest to respect the symbols of the host country, it is internationally recognized behavior to respect the countries’ national anthems,” the statement continued.
However, the delegate has apologized. According to the Taliban, public music is prohibited, reads the explanation.
But just a few days earlier, a similar incident took place in Pakistan – where Afghanistan’s chargé d’affaires was summoned, also because of allegations that Afghan representatives did not respect the national anthem.
It was not meant to be disrespectful, claims a spokesperson for the Afghan consulate, and he also refers to the Taliban’s rules regarding music. They did not stand up because “the anthem had music”.
Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021, laws and regulations have been introduced that reflect their strict interpretation of Islam, including bans on playing music in public. Television and radio have been banned from playing music and instruments have been burned.