Law regulating poetry gatherings endorsed

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) says the law regulating poetry gatherings has been endorsed and published in the official gazette.

As per the law, poets are obliged to avoid disrespecting Islamic values, insulting or dividing ethnic groups, languages and Muslims, promoting un-Islamic morals and unlawful customs, praising boys and girls, or criticizing the decrees, orders and decisions by the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

In a statement, the MoJ said the law has been published in the official gazette after its endorsement by the IEA supreme leader.

It said the law consists of a preamble, three chapters, two sections and 13 articles.

It regulates the conduct of poetry gatherings, the content of poems presented during such events and the responsibilities of the evaluation committee. The Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC) has been tasked with implementing the law.

The Justice Ministry added that, under the law, poets were strictly required before and during poetry gatherings to avoid any disrespect towards Islamic values, insults or discrimination against ethnic groups, languages and Muslims, promotion of un-Islamic morals or unlawful customs, praise of boys and girls or inviting friendship with them and criticism of the decrees, orders or decisions of the “Honourable Amir al-Mu’minin, may Allah protect him.” They are also obliged to respect prayer, call-to-prayer and congregation times.

The statement added poets were further obliged to ensure their poems promote Islamic ethnics, Sharia-based politics, purification of the self, consolidation of Islamic faith, unity of the Ummah and Islamic aspirations.

Their work must remain free from unlawful desires and unnecessary emotions.

According to the statement, MoIC and its provincial departments are obliged to register poetry gatherings and allow their dissemination only after review and clearance by the evaluation committee.

The ministry explained that evaluation committees at central and provincial levels would consist of an authorised representative of MoIC as chair, alongside representatives from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue and Complaints (MoVVC) and the Ulema Council.

These committees are tasked with assessing poetry gatherings before and after they are held, identifying positive and negative points, removing negatives and ensuring positive content is incorporated.

The MoJ said poets and lyricists whose works contribute to the reform of society would be appropriately rewarded by the Ministry of Information and Culture, while violators of the law would be punished in accordance with Sharia rulings.

kk/ma