Taliban bans Afghan women from 'hearing each other' in latest repressive law – National
The Taliban has enacted yet another law that severely restricts the freedom of women and girls, this time issuing a decree banning them from praying aloud or reciting the Qur'an in front of each other.
The move comes after a series of so-called “decency” or “decency” laws came into force in Afghanistan in August, set out in a 114-page document covering many aspects of daily public life.
Among the new laws announced in August were directives forcing women to cover their entire bodies, including their faces, at all times in public. Women were also prohibited from singing, reciting and reading aloud in front of people, as a woman's voice is considered “intimate” and should not be heard.
Women are already excluded from education after the sixth grade, many public places and many jobs. They are also forbidden to look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage.
During a ceremony in eastern Logar province on Sunday, the Deputy Minister of Taliban and Beauty Khalid Hanafi said: “It is not allowed for an elderly woman to recite Quranic verses or repeat in front of another elderly woman. Even the chants of takbir (Allahu Akbar) are not allowed.”
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He said saying similar expressions such as “subhanallah,” another word central to the Islamic faith, is also prohibited. A woman was not allowed to make a call to prayer, she told the meeting.
Even when an old woman prays and another woman passes by, she must not pray too much for them to hear.
“How can they be allowed to sing if they are not even allowed to hear the words (of others) while praying, let alone anything else.”
And while the exact details of the Taliban's decision are unclear, Afghan human rights activists have warned that it could mean women are effectively banned from holding talks with each other.
On Tuesday, the Ministry said that the nationwide awareness program will contribute to the formation of public opinion and increase awareness of divine decisions.
The Taliban established a ministry to “spread good and prevent evil” after taking power in 2021.
They bar women from working in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in 2022. A woman who spoke to Global News said her family was plunged into poverty after she quit her job at an NGO.
“I am the one who supports my family. There are only four people in my family: me, my sister and my parents. My father is sick now. We don't have anything in the kitchen to prepare dinner or our night,” she said.
“It's very difficult for me. I don't know how to go on with my life.”
Strict rules also direct drivers not to transport women without a male guardian, and passengers and drivers must perform prayers at specified times. Other restrictions include making it illegal to play music, and men are not allowed to cut their beards and skip religious prayers and fasts.
The media in Afghanistan must comply with Sharia law, which means that the publication of images depicting living things is prohibited, in accordance with Islam's prohibition of idolatry.
A UN report published in July said that the department is contributing to a situation of fear and intimidation among the Afghan people through the laws and the methods used to enforce them.
“Given the many issues presented in the report, the position expressed by the authorities that this control will increase and increase causes great concern for all Afghans, especially women and girls,” said Fiona Frazer, head of the People's Organization. rights service of the UN mission in Afghanistan.
The Taliban rejected the UN report.
– With files from the Associated Press and Global News
