Taliban Impose Sweeping Vice and Virtue Laws, Curbing Women's Rights

The Taliban's new laws, approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, impose strict guidelines on public conduct, including a ban on women's voices and bare faces in public.

Kabul, Afghanistan - The Taliban rulers of Afghanistan have implemented sweeping new laws aimed at combating vice and promoting virtue, further restricting the rights of women and imposing strict guidelines on everyday life.

Approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the laws were issued after the Taliban established a ministry for the "propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice" following their return to power in 2021.

Taliban Impose Sweeping Vice and Virtue Laws, Curbing Women's Rights

The ministry's vice and virtue laws cover a wide range of aspects of daily life, from public transportation and music to shaving and celebrations. The 114-page, 35-article document sets out the guidelines, marking the first formal declaration of vice and virtue laws in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover.

"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.

Taliban Impose Sweeping Vice and Virtue Laws, Curbing Women's Rights

The laws empower the ministry to regulate personal conduct and administer punishments, including warnings or arrest, to those who violate the guidelines.

Article 13, specifically, focuses on women. It mandates the veiling of women's bodies at all times in public, with a face covering deemed essential to avoid temptation and tempting others. The clothing worn should not be thin, tight, or short.

Women are also required to cover themselves in front of non-Muslim males and females to prevent corruption. A woman's voice is considered intimate and should not be heard singing, reciting, or reading aloud in public. It is forbidden for women to look at men who are not related to them by blood or marriage and vice versa.

Article 17 prohibits the publication of images of living beings, threatening Afghanistan's already fragile media landscape.

Article 19 bans the playing of music, the transportation of solo female travelers, and the mixing of men and women who are not related. It also requires passengers and drivers to perform prayers at designated times.

The promotion of virtue, according to the ministry website, includes prayer, aligning Muslims' character and behavior with Islamic law, encouraging women to wear hijab, and inviting people to comply with the five pillars of Islam. Elimination of vice involves prohibiting people from doing things forbidden by Islamic law.

Last month, a U.N. report raised concerns about the climate of fear and intimidation created by the ministry's edicts and enforcement methods. It noted the ministry's expanding role into other areas of public life, including media monitoring and drug addiction eradication.

Fiona Frazer, head of the human rights service at the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, expressed concern for all Afghans, especially women and girls, given the issues outlined in the report.

The Taliban have rejected the U.N. report, underscoring their determination to enforce their interpretation of Islamic law despite international criticism.