It was on Friday that Iran summoned the head of Afghanistan's embassy in the country. The reason: An Afghan delegate had not stood up during Iran's national anthem at a conference in Tehran on Islamic unity.
Iran considers the behavior to show that the person does not respect Iran's national anthem. The action is condemned and called "unacceptable".
"Apart from the obvious necessity of the guest respecting the host country's symbols, it is internationally recognized behavior to respect countries' national anthems", the statement continues.
The delegate has, however, apologized. According to the Taliban, public music is forbidden, is the explanation.
But just a few days earlier, a similar incident occurred in Pakistan – where Afghanistan's chargé d'affaires was summoned, also due to allegations of Afghan representatives not respecting the national anthem.
It was not intended to be disrespectful, claims a spokesperson for the Afghan consulate and also refers to the Taliban's rules on music. They did not stand up because "the anthem had music".
Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021, laws and regulations have been introduced that reflect their strict interpretation of Islam, including a ban on playing music in public. TV and radio have been banned from playing music and instruments have been burned.
