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Musa, 20, destroyed much of his work because Taliban threats prompted him to do so. This is his final artwork, a woman closing her eyes and crying. The teenage artist paints portraits of individuals, many of whom are women, which the Taliban, who rule according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law, prohibit.
“In Afghanistan, I believe art and artists will become obsolete. And if things keep going this way, art will be extinct in the near future “To safeguard his identity, the Afghan sketch artist simply used his first name.
Much of Afghanistan’s art and cultural achievements are at jeopardy with the Taliban’s return to power 20 years later. The country’s Jihad Museum is located in Herat, one of Afghanistan’s primary cultural cities.
A visual depiction of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the decades that followed is on exhibit within. Sayed Hassan, the museum’s caretaker for 18 years, pleaded with the Taliban to protect the city’s cultural and historical monuments.
The Bamiyan Buddha statues were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. They don’t appear to have changed their ways when they return 20 years later.
Many sculptures inside the Jihad Museum were damaged by the group’s fighters when it took over Herat in August, although the artworks were later restored by residents.
Taliban authorities feel that any type of art that does not conform to their rigorous interpretation of Sharia law has no place in their society.
“Any object (artwork) that is prohibited in Islam is prohibited in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” Mawlavi Naeem-Ul-Haq Haqqani, the caretaker director of Herat province Culture and Information department, remarked.
Artists are painting artworks that do not depict human bodies in galleries and art centres all across the city.
56-years-old All of Mohammad Ibrahim’s female students quit coming to his classes, according to the owner of a gallery and a drawing institute. Women in many parts of Afghanistan have been advised to stay home from work and much of public life.
Despite pledges from some that the Taliban would be tolerant and inclusive, the directives are yet another proof that they are implementing their harsh interpretation of Islam.
