The many bans that have been promulgated in recent years by Taliban towards Afghans and especially towards women are now part of a written law. There are rules that were known to us, such as the ban on traveling alone. There is one that shows more than the others the will to totally erase women.
This first law issued by the Ministry for the Prevention of Vices and the Promotion of Virtues is composed of 35 articles. One of them says that women cannot sing, recite or read aloud in public, because according to the Taliban, a woman’s voice is considered an intimate aspect and must remain private. This is just the latest ban for women, a aberrant prohibition that makes them invisible. Even more so than already known rules such as Article 13 of the law which states that it is mandatory for a woman to always go out veiled in public and cover her face to avoid temptation and tempt others. Short and tight clothes are excluded. They must travel only accompanied by a man from the family. Women are forbidden to look at men with whom they are not related by blood or marriage. And the opposite is also true.
The laws were enacted on Wednesday after being approved by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, ministry spokesman Maulvi Abdul Ghafar Farooq said. “We assure you that this Islamic law will be of great help in promoting virtue and eliminating vice.” It is the first formal declaration of the laws on vice and virtue in Afghanistan since the Taliban regained power in August 2021.
The ministry, created to promote respect for Sharia law and a strict interpretation of Islamic law, has the power to punish those who break those laws, which do not only affect women. A spokesman for the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue said this week that more than 13,000 people have been arrested for immoral acts in the past year.
The laws prohibit the publication of images of living beings, oblige passengers and drivers of transport to recite prayers at pre-established times and delete the music. Homosexuality, adultery and gambling are prohibited by law. Men are forbidden to wear trousers above the knee and must always take care of their beards. After returning to power, the Taliban eliminated secondary education for women and banned women from attending university. There are no more hairdressers and beauty salons.
Source: Vanity Fair
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