Taliban's Latest Crackdown: Women's Social Freedom Curtailed

Afghan Women's Voices Silenced Once Again

“How could they be allowed to sing if they aren't even permitted to hear...”

Afghan women's rights severely curtailed as Taliban prohibits public Quran recitation & limits social interaction.

Taliban, women's rights, Quran ban, Afghanistan, gender apartheid.

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has unveiled a restrictive decree further silencing women's voices. Already prohibited from public speaking, women now face additional constraints.

Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, Minister for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, announced on October 27 that women are barred from reciting the Quran aloud, even among other women.

This decree intensifies the Taliban's oppressive measures against women, severely limiting their freedom of expression and religious participation.

Highlights 

Taliban bans women from reciting Quran aloud, even among other women

Decision made by Minister Mohammad Khalid Hanafi

Further restricts women's freedom of expression and religious participation

Adds to existing ban on public speaking

“When women are not permitted to call Takbir or Azan (Islamic call to prayer), they certainly cannot sing songs,” he said.

Adding that, “Even when an adult female prays and another female passes by, she must not pray loudly enough for them to hear.

“How could they be allowed to sing if they aren't even permitted to hear each other's voices while praying, let alone for anything else.”

The Taliban's latest decree has sparked widespread concern among women and human rights advocates in Afghanistan. The minister's statement that a woman's voice is considered “awrah” - meaning it should be concealed and not heard in public, even among other women - is a stark reminder of the regime's restrictive policies. This directive has the potential to extend beyond prayer, severely limiting women's ability to converse with each other and further diminishing their social presence.

The Taliban's August laws mandated that women cover their entire bodies, including their faces, in public. This has been followed by a series of restrictive measures, including prohibiting female healthcare workers from working outside their homes or speaking with male relatives, as noted by a midwife in Heart, Afghanistan. Such policies have already harmed Afghan women's health, particularly in rural areas where access to healthcare is scarce.

Restrictions on Women's Rights:

Access to Healthcare: Women are required to have a male chaperone when seeking medical care.

Employment: Female healthcare workers are prohibited from working outside their homes.

Social Interaction: Women's voices are considered “awrah” and should not be heard in public.

Education: Restrictions on women's education have been implemented.

These measures have sparked outrage among human rights advocates, who argue that they will worsen the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The international community must continue to pressure the Taliban to respect women's rights and dignity.

“They don't even allow us to speak at checkpoints when we go to work.

“And in the clinics, we are told not to discuss medical matters with male relatives,” she said.

The Taliban's latest decree has sparked widespread concern, prohibiting women from speaking to one another in public, further restricting their already limited rights in Afghanistan. This comes after banning women's voices in public and formal education, a disturbing trend since the Taliban regained power in 2021. The Ministry of Vice and Virtue's new rule has generated significant backlash on social media, with many condemning the escalating restrictions on women's freedom.

Human rights activists, like Zubaida Akbar, are urging the international community to hold Taliban leaders accountable for their “gender apartheid” edicts. The situation is dire, with women's influence on decision-making shrinking dramatically, and their rights being eroded at an alarming rate. The international community must pressure the Taliban to reverse these oppressive policies and ensure women's full participation in Afghan society.

Major Concerns:

Restrictions on Education: Women are barred from formal education, severely limiting their opportunities.

Erasure from Public Life: Women's voices are silenced, and their presence in public spaces is heavily restricted.

Mental Health Impacts: The restrictions have led to increased reports of bad mental health, suicidal ideation, and attempts.

The United Nations has emphasized the need for urgent action, with experts calling for the international community to wield all available measures to induce the Taliban to reverse course. The world must come together to support Afghan women and ensure their basic human rights are respected.

“Today's ban on women's voices in each other's presence comes from Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, Taliban's minister of vice and virtue, who published a 100+ page book of edicts against women last month.

“Every ban on women has a face behind it and must be held accountable for gender apartheid,” she said via a post on X.