The Taliban, in power in Afghanistan, have ratified a morality law that toughens repression against women. This law includes measures such as prohibiting their voices from being heard in public spaces and their faces from being seen in the street, which will have to be covered under the mandatory full veil. This is the first formal declaration of laws “on vice and virtue” since the fundamentalist group took power by force in August 2021.
The document, which consists of more than 100 pages with 35 articles, was officially promulgated and published on Wednesday after being ratified by the supreme spiritual leader, Haibatullah Akhundzadah. The measures affect, for the most part, women: it is established that they must cover their face and body to avoid “causing temptation”, so that “they should not wear attractive, tight clothing or clothing that reveals the shape of their body”. It is also prohibited for them to use cosmetics or perfume, with the ultimate aim of preventing them from imitating “the styles of dress of non-Muslim women”.
One of the most severe measures is to prevent women from using their voices in public, which includes activities such as singing, reciting or speaking into a microphone. They are even prohibited from looking at men who are not their relatives. “The implementation of Sharia law [ley islámica] and the hijab is our red line. We cannot negotiate with anyone on these issues,” said the Minister of Virtue and Vice, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, according to the Afghan channel Tolo News.
The UN believes that since 2021, when the Taliban came to power after the withdrawal of Western troops and suspended the Constitution, the situation of women in Afghanistan could be considered a “apartheid “gender discrimination,” said Richard Bennett, the special rapporteur for that country. The expert then stated that the situation for Afghan women is “the worst” for women in the world.
Many of the clothing bans have been in place over the past three years, but this law provides the first legal basis for enforcing them. The law also includes restrictions for men: they cannot wear ties, nor trim their beards below the length of a fist. They cannot comb their hair, either. As regards their role in public spaces, men cannot see, let alone approach, women to whom they are not related. Bus drivers must refuse transport to female passengers who are not accompanied by a man. In addition, the new law requires media outlets to abide by Sharia law, prohibiting the publication of images containing living beings.
Penalties for any of these violations include “counseling, warnings of divine punishment, verbal threats, confiscation of property, detention from one hour to three days in public jails, and any other punishment deemed appropriate,” the Justice Ministry said. If these measures fail to correct an individual’s behavior, he or she would be referred to court for further action.
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According to the Taliban, the law is in accordance with Islamic Sharia. The authorities de facto The Islamic State reported last week that more than 13,000 people had been arrested for violating morality laws in the past year, though they did not break down the alleged crimes or the sex of those arrested. Half of those detentions lasted less than 24 hours. This law is the seventh to be ratified by the Islamic State, according to the Justice Ministry, with others relating to property, financial services and the prevention of begging.
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