IEA orders shopkeepers in Kabul to attend congregational prayers

The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has ordered shopkeepers in some areas in the Afghan capital Kabul to attend congregational prayers in mosques five times a day.

Officials of the ministry confirmed the move during a press conference as part of government’s accountability program.

Authorities have also warned against singing or playing songs in ceremonies.

“The letter has been announced to PD 7 and shopkeepers have been asked not to lease musical instruments to anyone,” said Akif Muhajir, a spokesman for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

At the conference, officials also said that more than 800 people who were underage or drug-addicted or having an appearance not conforming to Sharia were removed from the ranks of security forces.

“We worked to purge underage and corrupt people from the ranks of the Islamic Emirate forces,” said Abdul Rahman Munir, military deputy of the ministry of virtue and vice.

The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice is one of IEA’s key institutions. It has around 8,000 rules-enforcement officers.