Free Speech, International, Religion, Society

The Day the Music Died: Taliban Ban Music and Then Execute Leading Afghan Folk Singer

Roughly 50 years ago, Don McLean released his son song, “American Pie” with its famous line about “The Day the Music Died.” It was a reference to when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson died along with pilot Roger Peterson in an airplane crash. For Afghans, the day the music died coincided with the Taliban takeover of their country. Nothing drove home that fact than the horrific killing of Afghan folk singer Fawad Andarabi, who was executed by the Taliban for playing music.

The singer’s son said that the Taliban came to their farm and shot his father in the head. They targeted him because of his fame for playing the ghichak (above), a bowed lute, and preserving the traditional songs about his country.

While the Taliban told the media it would investigate, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid emphasized that “Music is forbidden in Islam.” Just days before, he announced to the media that music was banned. It was one of the first things the Taliban did after retaking power.  Music was also banned under Taliban rule from 1996 until 2001.

You can see one of the last folk songs of Andarabi here as he sings of “our beautiful valley.”

Christians, other religious minorities, homosexuals, feminists, journalists and others are being reportedly hunted down. Now Afghans will face the tyranny of the Taliban like a lost generation without even the solace of the music of their homeland:

Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again

…

And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died

74 thoughts on “The Day the Music Died: Taliban Ban Music and Then Execute Leading Afghan Folk Singer”

  2. I wonder how many of those leaving excuse ridden comments were even alive 25 years ago when the Taliban was in power? I was and remember clearly the mass executions of women in soccer stadiums and the executions of anyone trying to educate girls including the young females!! Such ignorance.

    1. The Taliban are no way near the majority of Muslims who are very moderate in the faith. The practices of the Taliban are much closer to the the extreme distortion of faith like the KKK followers of “Christian” religion

  3. Islam does not prohibit music. When Prophet Muhammad reached the Holy City of Madina from the Holy City of Mecca his Muslims followers honored him with music and sang the famous Islamic song “Talaa El-Badru Alayna” which means “The full moon had come upon us.” Several times in the Quaron

    The music that Prophet Muhammad prohibited was of the infidel Arab tribes used to play which involved sexual activities by the women. It was part of the pagan Arabs’ custom, and Prophet Muhammad wanted to prevent Muslims to be anywhere near that type of music, because it was a sinful music..

    Several places in the Koran there are references to David’s psalms, set to music.

    The ignorance of the average US citizen regarding Islam is huge. As is the average US citizens’ ignorance even to Christianity.

    1. “. . . prevent Muslims to be anywhere near that type of music, because it was a sinful music.”

      So Islam only bans “sinful” music. And “sinful” books, ideas, dress, disagreement, . . . And the “sinful” are whipped, jailed, beheaded.

      Try as you might, you cannot put a smiley face on a brutal, totalitarian ideology.

        1. Plenty.

          And I know something far more important: The essence of its rabidly anti-reason ideology, and its bloody history.

    2. No your ignorance is the one on display. The insane Islam of today (which is the same insane Islam of 1700 years ago) doesn’t get their marching orders from the Quran, but from the Hadith. Most the Quran is a rip off of the Torah with some important distortions. All of Islam is a fraud and a false religion. Also, how is shooting a guy in the head for playing a violin equate to protecting poor weak minded muslims from their disgusting sexual pedophile perversions?? Get real!!

      1. That should be 1400 yards ago. I though I better correct it before some crybaby sympathizer focuses on that and ignores the important parts.

    3. these cruds killing people for no legitimate reason should all go to Hell when they die. And if whet is happening in Afghanastan is typical of Islam beliefs, than you should all die and go to Hell.

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