Taliban Brutally Kills Singer Days after Banning Music in Afghanistan
Entertainer brutally shot dead by regime
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The Taliban executed an Afghan folk singer just days after declaring "music is forbidden in Islam," his family has said.
According to Fawad Andarabi’s family, the Taliban shot him dead when enforcers returned to his home after searching it and drinking tea with him.
"They shot him in the head on the farm," his son, Jawad, said of the killing in the Andarabi Valley.
"He was innocent, a singer who only was entertaining people," his son said.
Fawad played a bowed lute called a ghichak and sang traditional songs about his country.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said insurgents would investigate the incident but failed to elaborate on the killing.
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Recently, Mujahid told the New York Times that music was being outlawed, returning to the days of the group’s brutal rule from 1996 until 2001.
"Music is forbidden in Islam," Mujahid told AP.
"We’re hoping that we can persuade people not to do such things instead of pressuring them."
He added things would be different under this Taliban rule than the previous regime.
"We want to build the future and forget what happened in the past," he said, rejecting reports that the Taliban is already exacting vengeance on those who opposed them and are trying to reimpose the harsh restrictions on women that made them notorious when they first took control in 1996.
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Masoud Andarabi, Afghanistan’s former interior minister, shared footage of the singer performing, adding he was brutally killed" simply for "bringing joy to this valley and its people."
"As he sang here, ‘our beautiful valley….land of our forefathers’ will not submit to Taliban’s brutality," he tweeted.
The United Nations special rapporteur on cultural rights, Karima Bennoune, said she had "grave concern" over Andarabi’s killing.
Taliban’s brutality continues in Andarab. Today they brutally killed folkloric singer, Fawad Andarabi who simply was brining joy to this valley and its people. As he sang here “our beautiful valley….land of our forefathers…” will not submit to Taliban’s brutality. pic.twitter.com/3Jc1DnpqDH
— Masoud Andarabi (@andarabi) August 28, 2021
"We call on governments to demand the Taliban respect the #humanrights of #artists," she tweeted.
Secretary-general of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, also condemned the killing:
"There is mounting evidence that the Taliban of 2021 is the same as the intolerant, violent, repressive Taliban of 2001," she tweeted.
"Nothing has changed on that front."
