Taliban Enforce Ban on Dolls and Figurines in Kandahar, Citing Religious Grounds

Image: Jihad Watch

In a fresh wave of restrictions, the Taliban have imposed a ban on the sale and use of certain children’s toys in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar. According to local shopkeepers and sources on the ground, the prohibition specifically targets dolls, miniature figurines, and other toys depicting human or animal forms, which the group deems “un-Islamic.”

Toy vendors operating in Kandahar’s Sadozo Dany area and other local markets told Amu TV that representatives from the Taliban’s Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice have been making frequent visits to their stores. These morality enforcers have been issuing warnings and ordering the removal of items they believe violate Islamic principles as interpreted by the Taliban.

“The officials came to our shop several times,” one shopkeeper said, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation. “They told us that selling such toys is haram and strictly forbidden. We were warned to take them off our shelves or face consequences.”

The Taliban have long criticized representations of living beings, particularly in the form of statues, figurines, and dolls, claiming that such items promote idolatry and are in direct conflict with their understanding of Islamic law. Since regaining control of Afghanistan in 2021, the group has steadily imposed a range of restrictive cultural and social edicts—especially those impacting women, education, and public expression.

This latest ban further illustrates the group’s increasing control over everyday life in Afghanistan, especially in regions like Kandahar, considered a stronghold of Taliban ideology. While some residents express quiet frustration at the growing list of prohibitions, public dissent remains rare and dangerous under the current regime.

The move also reflects a broader cultural clampdown, targeting not only media, music, and women's rights, but even children's entertainment—severely limiting what many families can access or enjoy within their homes.

As the Taliban deepen their enforcement of what they deem “Islamic values,” ordinary Afghans, particularly merchants and families with young children, continue to navigate an increasingly constrained existence under the group's rule.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)