Taliban’s new vice laws impose harsher restrictions on women – India TV

Kabul:The Taliban have enacted a new set of laws imposing harsher restrictions on women, approved by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, banning them from speaking and forcing them to cover even their bare faces in public, according to a government spokesman. These laws have been enacted to “combat vice and promote virtue” in the country also known for declining women’s rights.

The ministry on Wednesday published its laws on vices and virtues, which cover aspects of daily life such as public transport, music, shaving and celebrations, 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 promoting virtue and eliminating vice,” ministry spokesman Maulvi Abdul Ghafar Farooq said Thursday.

The laws empower the ministry to be at the forefront of regulating personal conduct, handing out punishments such as warnings or arrests if officers report Afghans breaking the laws. Notably, the Taliban have already banned women from using gyms and parks and banned girls from attending schools above the sixth grade. They also ordered beauty salons to close last year for offering supposedly un-Islamic services such as eyebrow shaping.

What are the new laws regarding women?

Article 13 of Afghanistan’s new vice laws refers to women. It says that it is obligatory for women to cover their bodies in public at all times and that it is essential that they cover their faces to avoid temptation and tempting others. Clothing should not be thin, tight or short. Women are required to cover themselves in front of non-Muslim men and women to “avoid being corrupted.”

Furthermore, a woman’s voice is considered intimate and therefore should not be heard singing, reciting or reading aloud in public. Women are even prohibited from looking at men with whom they are not related by blood or marriage and vice versa. Article 17 prohibits the publication of images of living beings, which puts the already fragile Afghan media landscape at risk.

According to the ministry’s website, promoting virtue includes prayer, adapting Muslims’ character and conduct to Islamic law, encouraging women to wear the hijab and calling on people to abide by the five pillars of Islam. It also says that eliminating vice involves prohibiting people from doing things that are prohibited by Islamic law.

‘Climate of fear and intimidation’ in Afghanistan

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US troops in 2021, the United Nations has consistently criticised the Taliban for imposing stricter restrictions on women. The Taliban employ a different interpretation of centuries-old Sharia law that includes public executions, amputations and floggings. Women’s access to public parks has already been restricted and they now need a male guardian for long-distance travel.

The harsh measures imposed on women have sparked international outrage and concern about human rights violations, especially in Muslim-majority countries. Last month, a UN report said the Ministry of Vice Prevention was helping to create 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, such as monitoring the media and eradicating drug addiction.

“Given the multiple issues highlighted in the report, the position expressed by the de facto authorities that this monitoring will increase and expand is of great concern to all Afghans, especially women and girls,” said Fiona Frazer, head of the human rights service of the UN mission in Afghanistan.

(with AP inputs)

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