Why did Taleban ban kites?

Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

The government can enforce a particular Shariah when the scholars agree that it fulfills a clear general public interest (ensuring general benefit / avoiding general harm).

Kite strings are routinely sharpened with glass shards, or made of metal in the Subcontinent and Afghanistan. These cause numerous injuries, deaths, and financial losses and problems by cutting power lines.

The kites ruling is also in effect in Lahore (Pakistan), for the simple reason that they are a hazard. See:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3018966.stm 

http://www.dawn.com/2003/07/23/local12.htm 

This is not an endorsement of Taleban’s other harsh policies, many of which were generally criticized by scholars from elsewhere.

Wassalam,

Faraz Rabbani
faraz@sunnipath.com
hanafi@sunnipath.com 

Imam Abu Hanifa (Allah have mercy on him) said, “Fiqh is to know one’s self: what is for it and against it.”