The Taliban government of Afghanistan has officially banned mixed martial arts (MMA), deeming the sport un-Islamic. The decision was announced by the country’s sports authority on Wednesday, following an investigation by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
The Taliban’s morality police conducted a thorough review of MMA, ultimately concluding that the sport contains elements that conflict with sharia, or Islamic law. “It was found that the sport is problematic with respect to sharia and it has many aspects which are contradictory to the teachings of Islam,” the sports authority stated in a message to AFP. Consequently, the government has decided to prohibit the practice and promotion of mixed martial arts throughout Afghanistan.
An official from the sports authority elaborated on the decision, explaining to local media that MMA was banned partly due to its violent nature, which poses significant risks of injury or even death to participants. This aligns with the Taliban’s broader efforts to enforce a conservative interpretation of Islamic principles since their return to power in 2021.
The ban on MMA is part of a wider campaign by the Taliban to regulate public behavior and activities according to their interpretation of Islamic law. Recently, the government ratified a morality law that formalizes various rules on conduct and dress, including a mandate that men must not wear shorts above the knee.
Martial arts have long been popular in Afghanistan, with the country producing several notable athletes in the field. At the recent Paris Games, four of the eleven Afghan competitors, representing either the national or the Refugee Olympic teams, were martial arts athletes.
