Taliban have defended the intervention by armed morality police at a medical students’ graduation ceremony in Herat late last week, where students were forced to remove neckties, amid criticism from religious scholars and social media users.
The Taliban-run Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice said its officers were enforcing existing regulations and described critics of the move as “non-national hired agents.”
Ministry spokesman Saif-ul-Islam Khaibar said morality officers acted without force and were implementing a ban on neckties that he said has been in place for five years.
“Under the sharia-based law on the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice, wearing a necktie has been prohibited,” Khaibar said in a post on X. “Morality officers have repeatedly conveyed this message in universities and other public places, but some still do not comply.”
Under Article 22 of the Taliban’s morality law, the use or promotion of items such as neckties is classified as “un-Islamic symbols” and banned.
The incident occurred on Friday, Jan. 16, when Taliban morality officers entered a graduation ceremony for students of Herat University’s medical faculty, ordered students to remove their neckties and confiscated equipment, according to witnesses.
Religious scholar Waliullah Labib criticised the action, saying it violated personal privacy and amounted to a greater moral wrongdoing.
“Entering a public ceremony in this manner and instilling fear is a violation of privacy,” Labib said, adding that enforcement should not be carried out through intimidation.
Participants at the ceremony said the intervention disrupted the event and frightened attendees.
“They went onto the stage, removed doctors’ neckties and took them away,” said one attendee who witnessed the incident. “They also seized cameras and turned off the large screen. The atmosphere of the ceremony was destroyed.”
The Taliban have previously described neckties as symbols associated with Christianity and have banned their use in schools, universities and government institutions. The Ministry of Education has formally prohibited teachers and students from wearing neckties, trousers and similar attire in public and private schools.
The incident has triggered widespread criticism inside and outside the country, adding to concerns over the Taliban’s enforcement of social restrictions in educational institutions.
