The Taliban ban Valentine’s Day in Afghanistan and order all decorations to be destroyed

The Taliban security forces forced this Monday to close markets and destroy the decoration of Valentine’s Day in various shops Afghanistanconsidering that it is a festival prohibited by Islam and that it is not part of Afghan traditions, in the opinion of the fundamentalists.

“Today, to attract customers, we prepare our stores in the market for the day of Valentine’s Day. The day began with a wave of couples and young people, but the security forces of the taliban they came and closed the main gate of the market”, Naseeb, a salesperson at a shopping mall in Kabul, told Efe.

Various members of the almighty Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice visited various markets in the Afghan capital with gift and flower shops, and merchants were instructed not to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

A vendor, who requested anonymity, explained to Efe that this morning a member of the anti-vice patrols went through the shops and demanded that they did not practice “this forbidden culture imposed on us by foreign countries.”

The taliban too they destroyed the decoration of some stores and prevented access to the population who wanted to buy gifts or make special requests for Valentine’s Day.

A member of the security forces of the talibanwho was appointed to keep the main door of a shopping center closed, told Efe that in the morning “There were many reckless girls who came without veils to celebrate this forbidden day”so they came “here to not allow entry to the market”.

Some young people, however, affirm that Valentine’s Day it offers reasons to celebrate the happiness of life and show love, without going against Islamic values ​​or Afghan culture.

This date “It is just a reason to celebrate the happiness of life, and spread our love among us and make us happy, which does not mean that we are incorporating something (foreign) into our culture and religion”the young Pari told Efe in front of one of the closed entrances of a market.

Although the day of Valentine’s Day It is not part of the Islamic calendar nor is it part of the Afghan culture, before the victory of the taliban last August 15 Afghanistan used to celebrate this holiday, especially during the two decades of US occupation in which freedoms multiplied.

Today, despite the Islamist bans and the closure of some markets, Many Afghan citizens celebrated Valentine’s Day in the privacy of their homes.

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