Despite the Taliban’s ban on painting and photographing living beings, Abdullah Sarhadi, the Taliban governor of Bamyan, has accepted a portrait of himself.
This move highlights a clear contradiction in the their policies, where the prohibition on artistic expressions appears to be selectively enforced.
On Tuesday, December 17, the Taliban media office in Bamyan released images showing Abdullah Sarhadi receiving his portrait from a Bamyan-based artist.
According to the Taliban, the “Fanous” art workshop in Bamyan created the painting as a gift to honor Sarhadi for his “services and support for children.”
This comes despite the Taliban recently beating an artist in Kabul for painting human faces and living creatures and shutting down his art workshop.
Notably, the Taliban’s Promotion of Virtue laws classify painting and photographing living beings as “haram” and strictly prohibited.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, thousands of artists have been forced to shut down their studios and turn to arduous manual labor for survival.
The contradictory actions of the Taliban highlight ongoing inconsistencies within their policies regarding art and creativity. While they restrict artistic expressions for the general population, exceptions seem to be made for their leadership, raising concerns about double standards.
This situation has further stifled Afghanistan’s art community, erasing cultural expression and leaving many artists struggling for livelihood. The international community continues to call for preserving artistic freedom and protecting the country’s rich cultural heritage under the current regime.
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