Afghanistan. The Taliban government banned chess playing

The Ministry of Virtue and Combating Afghanistan's offenses banned chess games in the country. Reason? The Taliban are afraid that the game can be used for gambling in this country. Fundamentalist authorities will now examine the compatibility of this form of entertainment with Sharia.

The Afghan fundamental government banned chess played by the Taliban. According to the British BBC station, the decision was made because of the fears that this form of entertainment can be used for gambling prohibited in this country.

“Religious considerations”

Atal Mashwani, spokesman for the government cell responsible for sport, informed about it on Sunday, explaining the decision “religious reasons”. The clerk said that the game was banned for an indefinite period until it was determined whether he was consistent with Islamic law (gray).

At the same time, according to the Afghan Khaama press agency, the Afghan chess federation was closed.

“In the days preceding the decision of the Taliban government, chess players asked the Ministry of Sport for funding for further activity, but they were told that the game was banned,” said Khaama.

The BBC quotes the Azizullah Gulzada, who is dissatisfied with the decision of the Taliban government, the owner of one of the cafes in the capital of the country, Kabul, who admitted that chess are the only form of spending free time without other forms of entertainment. “They drank a cup of tea and challenged their friends in chess,” said Gulzada.

Last year, the authorities banned free fighting, e.g. MMA competitions – mixed martial arts. Among other things, it was recognized that they were too brutal. – It has been established that this sport is problematic from the point of view of Sharia and has many aspects contrary to Islam's teachings – said the Taliban spokesman in August last year.

Regardless of discipline, virtually all sports are currently closed to women in Afghanistan. UN indicates that since the Taliban took power in 2021 In Afghanistan, “sex apartheid” is consistently introducedand women are gradually pushed out of public space. In addition to the ban on education, they are also banned from going to parks, sports halls, gyms and beauty salons. They can't leave the house without a male guardian.

Taliban in power

In August 2021, the Taliban, Islamic radicals, who already ruled Afghanistan in 1996-2001, again took power in this country after the withdrawal of foreign troops (including Polish) under the leadership of the USA. Officially, not a single state recognized the legality of the Taliban rule, although many countries – including several significant ones, such as Russia or Chinaas well as some Central Asia countries – maintains developed economic and diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.

Afghanistan experiences one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, which involves the cutting off of many sources of financial assistance from abroad. In addition to restrictions on women's rights, the Taliban seriously limited the freedom of speech and the media, they repeatedly stopped and tortured opponents of the regime or journalists.

The humanitarian crisis contributed, among others Cutting out development assistance. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance has announced that more than half of the 23 million population is struggling with malnutrition. Access to healthcare is difficult, and the ban on education of women over the 6th grade of primary school will make a shortage of healthcare employees soon.

Learn more:

Tvn24