[Today's Prayer] Afghan Government "Pushes to Ban Filming of Living Things," Enacts Islamic Law

Afghan Government Pushes to Ban Filming of Living Things, Enacts Islamic Law

The Taliban government in Afghanistan has announced that it will block the media from taking photos or videos of living creatures.

Saiful Islam Khiber, spokesman for the Taliban government's Ministry for Preventing Evil and Spreading Good ( PVPV ), told reporters on the 14th (local time) that after announcing this policy, he said, "This media law will be gradually applied to all Afghans," AFP reported .

There is no compulsion to enforce the law. It is only a recommendation," he said, adding, "We are trying to convince people that reporting photos or videos of living creatures is against Sharia law, so they must follow it."

The measures introduced by the Taliban this time include, in addition to banning the reporting of images of living creatures, strict prohibitions on ridiculing or insulting Islam, and prohibitions on reporting content that violates Islamic law.

The media law banning the reporting of images of living creatures has already been introduced and implemented in some regions. “The southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand, as well as the northern province of Takhar, are already trying to implement this media law, but it has not been implemented nationwide,” Khyber said.

In the central province of Ghazni, authorities summoned reporters and advised them to “make it a habit to take pictures from a distance and reduce the number of incidents,” according to a local reporter.

While the Taliban was in power from 1996 to 2001, it made it illegal to film or report on living creatures, but it has not yet imposed such measures on the media since returning to power in 2021. However, it is already imposing restrictions on other commercial activities. For example, when people appear in commercial advertisements, their faces are erased, and store mannequins are required to cover their faces with paper bags. Even the eyes of fish pictures drawn on restaurant menus are erased.

Before the Taliban took power, there were 8,400 Afghan media workers, but now there are 5,100, including 560 women. In Afghanistan, women are required to cover their faces when appearing on television. In Hellman province in particular, women's voices are even prevented from being heard on television and radio.

Source: News

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” (1 King 19:1-2)

Amen, Praise be to God, who is King of the earth.

God, In Afghanistan, the government has decided to prevent the media from taking and publishing photos or videos of living creatures, and has imposed restrictions on covering women's faces, voices, and even objects that are not actually alive.

These bans are all aimed at enforcing Islamic law.

The Taliban are doing this because they want to turn the minds of many Afghans toward idolatry.

We remember how Jezebel led many to worship idols and sent out to kill Elijah, who had shown the glory of God.

The Lord hated and abhorred Jezebel's sinfulness.

Please destroy the sin of idolatry, which You hate, and all sins that blind others to idolatry through Islam.

We also believe that just like Elijah and the remnant, You have brought revival to Afghanistan, and that there must be a people of God that You have Your eye on.

God, help Afghan Christians to come out boldly and proclaim Christ! Lift up their voices to show and tell of You!

Through them the glory of God will be revealed, and they will admit that Jesus Christ is our God and we are His people!

Let the multitudes in Afghanistan come to life as Your people!