Does anyone know why chess was banned by the Ayatollah, the Taliban and the clergy in post Saddam Iraq?

Question

Does anyone know why chess was banned by the Ayatollah, the Taliban and the clergy in post Saddam Iraq?

Answer 1

Chess is considered a form of gambling which is not allowed according to the Koran.  The representation of human figures as pieces is also forbidden because only Allah can create people.

Answer 2

I never heard that before.  Only reason I could think of, is that on the chess board, the King is more important than the bishops.  And bishops have a ranking less than rooks, and equal to the knights.

So, perhaps it's because of their names, and ranking, as Islam puts God above all else.  Since bishops are not top in power on the board, that could be demeaning to their religious dogma, submission to God.

The Taliban are not against sports, but they are against having too much pleasure and enjoyment.

They are much like the old USA Puritans, and seek to purify foreign influences in their culture.  Remember long ago, young people would be put into stocks, and ridiculed for being publicly affectionate, for example.

Puritanical Taliban discourage thinking and  outward expressions of passion that are not somehow related to honoring their religion, and traditions.

Eventually, the "bright side" of life usually overcomes the dark.

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Answer 3

Anything that isn't related to religion is banned by such people. In other words, they are just meant to pray whenever they have spare time on their hands. So chess and such things would be banned, especially in the terribly austere islamic state the Taliban founded in Afghanistan. Even bin laden said to al Jazeera correspondent Ahmed Zaidan in jan 2001, "Of course we disagree with many of Taliban's rigid policies and how they treat women, but of course they are the best group around for our refuge".

Answer 4

I wasn't aware that it was banned, but if it is, it probably has to do with the pieces.  They represent traditional european feudal terms, including the term bishop.

Islam does tend to be an egalitarian faith.

Answer 5

I doubt it's due to the piece names, as those are European in origin and Chess, which is a corruption of the Persian for the "King is Dead" was invented there, or possibly in Western India.  Originally designed to teach critical thinking and tactics to young noblemen, as warfare of the time did resemble the formalized moves we associate with chess.

Anyway, it was most likely perceived as "Western" and non-Islamic.  Not the first time fundamentalists have no sense of history.  It also would take away leisure time from prayer and meditation.  Males were/are supposed to read and meditate on the Koran, daily.