The Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has ordered Afghan officials to implement a sweeping new morality law, effectively curtailing women’s rights and imposing a stringent vision of Islamic society. This law, announced last month by Taliban authorities, includes 35 articles dictating behavior and lifestyle, with a significant focus on restrictions against women.
The law mandates that women must cover their entire body and face in public, including their voices, and restricts their movement outside the home to only “out of necessity”. Men are also subject to strict regulations, including a ban on wearing shorts above the knee and a requirement to grow beards.
The new law extends to various other aspects of life, prohibiting activities such as keeping photos of living beings, engaging in homosexuality, animal fighting, playing music in public, and celebrating non-Muslim holidays. It also mandates attendance at prayers.
The Taliban has empowered morality police to enforce the law, with a range of punishments from verbal warnings to fines, detentions, and threats.
The international community and human rights groups have expressed deep concern and outrage over the law, with the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, calling it a “distressing vision for Afghanistan’s future.”
Akhundzada, who rules by decree from his hideout in southern Kandahar province, made the order during a rare trip to northern Faryab province last week. This marks his first official visit to northern Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
The new law is a stark reminder of the Taliban’s commitment to enforcing a strict interpretation of Islamic law and their disregard for basic human rights, particularly for women. It has sparked widespread condemnation and raised serious concerns for the future of women and fundamental freedoms in Afghanistan.
