The Taliban in Afghanistan has imposed stricter restrictions on women under its interpretation of sharia law. Women are now banned from hearing other women’s voices while they pray, with the announcement made by the acting minister of the Vice and Virtue Ministry. Details of the ban remain unclear, but women are already forbidden from engaging in call-to-prayer, speaking in public, and must be fully covered, including their faces. The ban on public speaking enforced in August also means that women speaking inside their homes should not be heard from outside.
The new ban is an attempt to prevent women from praying or using expressions like “subhanallah” even in their homes in front of other women. The Taliban claims these oppressive measures are meant to prevent temptation and women in Afghanistan are required to have a male guardian when leaving their homes. Women found to have violated the rules are arrested and imprisoned. Additionally, a report by Richard Bennett, the special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, found instances of sexual violence, including rape, being used against women arrested by the Taliban. Bennett concluded that the Taliban’s system of gender oppression may amount to crimes against humanity, including gender persecution.
The Taliban has dismissed accusations of discrimination despite banning women from public spaces in Afghanistan. Women are restricted from reciting Quranic verses or performing recitations in front of other women, and even chants of takbir are not permitted. The ban also prohibits women from being heard while praying, even in their own homes. Women speaking inside their homes are not allowed to be heard from outside. These measures are part of the Taliban’s efforts to further control and limit the freedom of women in Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s extreme restrictions on women have sparked outrage and concern from international organizations and human rights experts. The ban on women from hearing other women’s voices while praying is seen as a severe infringement on women’s rights and freedoms. The Taliban justifies these measures as a way to prevent temptation and ensure women are behaving in accordance with their interpretation of sharia law. Women found to have defied the rules face arrest and imprisonment, with reports of sexual violence being used against them while in custody.
The United Nations has been made aware of the situation in Afghanistan, with Richard Bennett scheduled to present his report on the Taliban’s human rights violations to the General Assembly. The report details the widespread gender oppression and restrictions faced by women in Afghanistan under the Taliban’s rule. The international community is being urged to take action to address the ongoing human rights abuses being committed against women in Afghanistan. The Taliban’s enforcement of harsh and discriminatory rules against women is a violation of their basic human rights and freedoms, and urgent steps need to be taken to protect and support the women affected by these measures.
