Taliban Killed the Radio Stars  In Afghanistan, Any Battle Over
Music Is a Battle Over National Identity  Since taking control
of most of Afghanistan in 1994, the Taliban—through its
ludicrously named Ministry of the Promotion of Virtue and
Prevention of Vice—has arrested musicians, burned instruments,
shredded tapes, smashed VCRs, and banned both public and private
performances. "Those who listen to music and songs in this
world," goes the Muhammad-attributed threat used to justify its
censorship, "on the Day of Judgment, molten lead will be poured
into their ears."  After Northern Alliance troops marched into
Kabul on November 13, however, radio music and the sounds of
rubabs and dutars could be heard publicly for the first time
since the Taliban's draconian regulations (beards and burkas for
all!) were installed in 1996. This is what normal should sound
like. The nation's radio, more than any cultural bond beyond
Islam itself, had helped unify the country's 32 tribes, which
enjoyed their respective ethnic