Oppression intensifies in Afghanistan: Taliban now ban chess

The government of Afghanistan, led by the radical Islamist Taliban movement, announced Sunday that it decided to ban chess games across the country.

The ban, announced by the country's sports authorities, will be in effect until further notice.

According to Atal Mashwani, spokesman for the Afghan Sports Directorate, the authorities consider chess a means of betting, something forbidden by Shariah (Islamic law).

The official explained that there are religious considerations related to chess, so the game has been temporarily suspended under the Promotion of Virtues and Prevention of Vice Law, which was passed in 2024.

The owner of a bar in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, which organized chess tournaments, stated that no betting was taking place. However, he said he would respect the Taliban's decision.

Since the Taliban took power in 2021 following the chaotic withdrawal of US forces, women have been almost completely excluded from participating in sports.

Other unusual bans

Recently, the Taliban have begun working to remove from circulation books it considers "un-Islamic" and anti-government in Afghanistan, the AFP agency reported.

Last August, the Taliban issued a series of laws aimed at further curtailing the freedoms of its citizens, including a ban on the sound of the female voice in public, as it considers it to be intimate, so it is not allowed to be heard singing, reading or reciting.

Among the new rules, which were approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, it is also noted that women must cover their bodies in public spaces, mainly their faces, to avoid tempting themselves and others. They must also cover themselves in front of non-Muslim men and women so as not to corrupt themselves.

In addition, laws issued by the Islamic fundamentalist regime state that women must wear clothing that is neither tight-fitting nor short.

Last October, the Taliban government began implementing a new law that prohibits publishing images of living beings, both animals and humans, in the media.