The Taliban that rules over Afghanistan has recently cracked down on the sound of women’s voices and the sight of their faces in a new public ruling. The strict set of vice and virtue laws were set under the unrelenting Islamist regime in the Middle Eastern country.
The supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, approved the laws issued on Wednesday, and will cover aspects of every day life like public transportation, music, shaving and celebrations.
The Rules
One of the most concerning new rules that people have pointed out as cruel and unfair is Article 13 and how it relates to women.
The rule says that it is mandatory for all women to cover their bodies at all times with a veil in public. Also, they listed their reasoning for issuing the change. The law says that women must cover their faces and bodies to avoid temptation to others, implying that assault and harassment are always the women’s fault and responsibility.
Reasoning For the Laws
Part of the logic that the Islamic regime has used to force women to cover their faces and bodies is that they will need to cover themselves in front of non-Muslim males and females to avoid being corrupted by a different culture.
The separation between religions, cultures, and knowledge can often severely restrict the freedom of women who wish to learn more.
The Issue With Women’s Voices
The group has announced that a woman’s voice is deemed too intimate to be shared in public. Therefore, women should not sing, recite, or read aloud publicly.
“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, of the new laws.
Restrictions of Movement
It is also forbidden for women to look at men that they are not related to by blood or marriage, and vice versa.
Other faiths also follow strict laws concerning men and women who don’t already know each other and aren’t married. In some strict Jewish sects, men are forbidden from speaking to or touching women they don’t know, and vice versa.
Rules on Clothing
Article 13 also states that women cannot wear any clothes that are too “thin, tight or short.”
However, women in the area are already forced to wear fully modest clothing, so it’s unclear if the new rules will make dress code even more shapeless.
The Taliban Rule
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 after long-term political instability, roughly 20 years after the U.S. government first ousted them.
Unfortunately, Amnesty International has stated that the Taliban regime has been devastating for the people in the region. The increasingly strict laws on women and girls aim at erasing them from public life and creating much less safe home lives for them as they cannot speak out during mistreatment. As well, the Taliban takeover has been detrimental to natural disaster relief and caused millions of children to starve.
Vice and Virtue Laws
The 114-page, 35-article document first uncovered by The Associated Press is the first formal declaration of Afghanistan’s new vice and virtue laws since the power change in 2021.
The ministry also set up a new arm of government for the “propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice.”
Controlling Public Behaviour
The new laws will allow the ministry to regulate and control personal conduct.
As well, the new arm of government will also be allowed to hang out punishments like warnings or arrests if any Afghans have broken the laws.
A Shrinking World for Women
Women in the country will also see the ban on the publication of images of living beings, which threatens a fragile media landscape in the country.
Other normal tings like music and solo female traveling will also be banned, further restricting the movement and freedom of women.
Promotion of Virtue
The government has stated that the new laws are an attempt to push more virtuous behavior on citizens. The promotion of virtue will include pushing prayer and inviting people to comply immediately with the five pillars of the Islamic religion.
The Taliban is attempting to stop people from doing things forbidden by Islamic law by force.
The U.N. Speaks Unfavourably of the Laws
Last month, a new report by the U.N. says that the Taliban is contributing to a climate of fear and intimidation throughout the country.
“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 U.N. mission in Afghanistan.
