In a latest crackdown on freedom of women in Afghanistan, the ruling Taliban has now decided to ban the entry of women in the Band-e-Amir, one of the country's most popular national parks in Bamiyan province, according to the a spokesman for the Vice and Virtue Ministry.
According to the Ministry, the decision comes because women are said to have not observing the proper way of wearing the hijab while visiting the park. This comes after Vice and Virtue Minister's Mohammad Khalid Hanafi visit to the park a week ago.
During the visit, Hanafi asked security personnel to stop women from visiting the park and told officials and religious officials that they have not been following the proper way of wearing the hijab. "Going sightseeing is not a must for women," he said then.
Vice and Virtue Ministry spokesperson Molvi Mohammad Sadiq Akif on Saturday a report of Hanafi's remarks on Saturday, including the use of security forces, clerics and elders to stop women from entering the tourist hotspot.
Hanafi reportedly remarked that they are creating a mechanism that will eventually allow women to enter the park soon. Until then, women will not be allowed to enter Band-e-Amir. He also criticised people for disobeying Taliban directives and women for not adhering to the hijab rules set by the Taliban.
Band-e-Amir is one of the most popular Afghan attractions in Bamiyan province and gets thousands of tourists each year. It is also a vital source of income for locals and multiple businesses ranging from restaurants to handicrafts. It became Afghanistan's first national park in 2009.
Heather Barr, the associate women's rights director at Human Rights Watch, accused the Taliban of depriving women and girls from parks and nature through the latest action.
Taliban's crackdown on women
It is worth mentioning that since coming to power in 2021 after the withdrawal of US and NATO forces, the Taliban has imposed a series of harsh restrictions on Afghan women and girls, including stopping them from going to school and prohibiting Afghan women from employment at local and non-governmental organisations.
Taliban employs a different interpretation of the centuries-old Sharia law, which includes public executions, amputations and flogging. Women's access to public parks has already been restricted and they now require a male guardian for long-distance travel.
The harsh measures on women has triggered international outrage and concerns over human rights violations, especially in Muslim-majority countries.
Earlier this month, the Taliban authorities prohibited girls older than 10 from going to elementary school classes in certain areas of Afghanistan. Authorities from the Taliban-administered Ministry of Education told principals of schools and short-term training classes in the Ghazni region that "any girl more than 10 years old isn't permitted to study in elementary schools
A student in 6th grade—for which the Taliban had allowed training last year—said that girls who are more than 10 years of age were not permitted to enter the school.
Prior to that, Afghanistan banned women's beauty parlors in Kabul and different territories across the nation. It said that the salons offered services forbidden by Islam and also cause economic hardships for grooms' families during wedding festivities.
In April, in another diktat by the Taliban, authorities prohibited women from attending the Eid celebrations. This ban has been put in place in two provinces of Afghanistan, according to reports. Women in Baghlan and Takhar have been prohibited from going out in groups during Eid-ul-Fitr.
(with inputs from agencies)
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