TikTok Banned by Taliban for Immoral Content
Source: Getty Images
TikTok will be banned in Afghanistan as part of a moral policing drive by the Taliban. According to Inamullah Samangani, content on the platform is misleading the younger generation.
The ban was extended to the mobile game, PUBG and barring Afghani channels from airing immoral content. Speaking to Bloomberg over the phone, Samangani mentioned that the app’s filthy content is not consistent with Islamic laws.
“We’ve received a lot of complaints about how the TikTok app and the PUBG game are wasting people’s time. The ministry of communications and information technology was ordered to remove the apps from internet servers and make them inaccessible to everyone in Afghanistan.” – Samangani for Bloomberg
Afghani netizens were not impressed by the ban, saying that there are other pressing matters that need more attention.
Most mentioned that equal opportunities and jobs are more important than banning apps.
Food and security are more important than the implied moral corruption caused by apps and the internet.
This isn’t the first time the Taliban made controversial calls in their governance. Despite their promises of a progressive Afghanistan, they have suspended high school education for girls and forbid women from appearing on TV without the headscarf.
Perhaps the most ridiculous one was the beheading of mannequins as it was deemed unislamic and akin to idolatry.
Whether the country progresses or regresses back to the 90’s era during the previous Taliban takeover remains to be seen but there are other more pressing issues than banning TikTok when the country is a warzone.
Reporter’s Opinions: I have no words. While I agree that hours will be wasted as one scrolls down the rabbithole that is TikTok, banning apps because it promotes immorality is futile.
People will find a way to get onto the internet. The more you censor them, the more determined they become to find access to what’s being banned. Look at China and learn from them. They too banned Facebook and other social media apps. Did that stop their people from finding ways to be on social media platforms?.
Much like other social media apps, TikTok also has good and educational content. You can even find Islamic content on it. Oh wait, you don’t want people to believe in anything else except the version of Islam that you preach.
There are other pressing matters facing your country like unemployment, security and equal rights. Perhaps the most glaring of all is how bacha bazi is very much alive even today. For those who don’t know, bacha bazi is when older men sexually abuse young boys who are forced to cross dress as girls.
Yeah, quit the hypocrisy.
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