The plane from Kabul touched down in Qatar round 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Two 13-yr-previous musicians — Zohra and Farida, a trumpet participant and a violinist — disembarked and ran towrestleds their teacher. Then, witnesses said, they started to cry.
The womales have been Amongst The numerous final college students affiliated with the Afghanistan Nationwide Institute of Music — a famend school that has been a goal of the Taliban Prior to now Partially for its efforts To promote the education Of womales — to be evacuated from Kabul As a Outcome of the Taliban regained power in August.
They joined 270 college students, teachers and their relations who, fearing thOn the Taliban might search to punish them For his or her ties to music, have made the journey from Kabul to Doha, the capital of Qatar, with The primary group leaving in early October. Most arrived Prior to now week, boarding 4 particular flights organized by The federal authorities of Qatar, after months of delays. They finally plan to resettle in Portugal, the place they anticipate to be granted asylum.
“It’s such An limitless aid,” Ahmad Naser Sarmast, The prime of The varsity, said in a telephone interview on his method again from greeting the womales On the airport on Tuesday. “They will dream as quickly as extra. They will hope.”
The musicians are among lots of of artists — actors, writers, painters and photographers — Who’ve fled Afghanistan in current weeks. Many have left because they fear Regarding their protectedty and see no Technique of incomes money As a Outcome of the humanities come beneath authorities scrutiny.
The Taliban is cautious of nonreligious music, which they prohibited outright Once they led Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Whereas The mannequin new authorities has not issued an official ban, radio stations have sprimeped having fun with some songs, and musicians have taken to hiding their instrumalests. Some have reported being assaulted or threatened for performing. A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in an interview with The Ny Occasions in August that “music is forbidden in Islam” however that “we’re hoping that We will persuade people To not do such issues, Rather than pressuring them.”
The Afghanistan Nationwide Institute of Music had prolonged been a goal of the Taliban. The school embraced change, adopting a coeducational mannequin and devoting assets to studying each conventional Afghan music and Western music. The Taliban issued frequent threats as quickly as extrast The varsity; Sarmast was wounded by a Taliban suicide bomber in 2014.
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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/17/arts/music/afghanistan-music-school-qatar.html