Kabul: The Taliban has issued a new set of laws that have imposed tighter restrictions on women approved by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, putting a ban on their voices and making it mandatory for them to cover even their bare faces in public, according to a government spokesperson. These laws have been issued to "combat vice and promote virtue" in the country also known for declining rights for women.
The ministry published its vice and virtue laws on Wednesday that cover aspects of everyday life like public transportation, music, shaving and celebrations, set out in a 114-page, 35-article document seen by The Associated Press. “Inshallah we assure you that this Islamic law will be of great help in the promotion of virtue and the elimination of vice,” said ministry spokesman Maulvi Abdul Ghafar Farooq on Thursday.
The laws empower the ministry to be at the frontline of regulating personal conduct, administering punishments like warnings or arrest if enforcers allege that Afghans have broken the laws. Notably, Taliban has already banned women from using gyms and parks and barred girls from attending schools above the sixth grade. It also ordered beauty salons to shut down last year for offering allegedly un-Islamic services like eyebrow shaping
What are the new laws on women?
Article 13 of the new Afghan vice laws relates to women. It says it is mandatory for a woman to veil her body at all times in public and that a face covering is essential to avoid temptation and tempting others. Clothing should not be thin, tight or short. Women are obliged to cover themselves in front of non-Muslim males and females to "avoid being corrupted".
Additionally, a woman's voice is deemed intimate and so should not be heard singing, reciting, or reading aloud in public. It is forbidden for women to even look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage and vice versa. Article 17 bans the publication of images of living beings, threatening an already fragile Afghan media landscape.
According to the ministry website, the promotion of virtue includes prayer, aligning the character and behaviour of Muslims with Islamic law, encouraging women to wear hijab, and inviting people to comply with the five pillars of Islam. It also says the elimination of vice involves prohibiting people from doing things forbidden by Islamic law.
'Climate of fear and intimidation' in Afghanistan
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops in 2021, the United Nations has routinely criticised the Taliban for imposing tighter restrictions on women. 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 have triggered international outrage and concerns over human rights violations, especially in Muslim-majority countries. Last month, a UN report said the ministry for prevention of vice was contributing to a climate of fear and intimidation among Afghans through edicts and the methods used to enforce them. It said the ministry's role was expanding into other areas of public life, including media monitoring and eradicating drug addiction.
“Given the multiple issues outlined in the report, the position expressed by the de facto authorities that this oversight will be increasing and expanding gives cause for significant concern for all Afghans, especially women and girls,” said Fiona Frazer, the head of the human rights service at the UN mission in Afghanistan.
(with AP inputs)
ALSO READ | Taliban disowns many Afghan diplomatic missions abroad, rejects visas issued by Western-backed staffers
