Taliban scholars gather in the courtyard of the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV) in Kabul on October 16, 2024, following a meeting with scholars, traders, and local community leaders. – AFP file
The Taliban government's morality ministry refuted recent media reports claiming a ban on women speaking to each other, stating that such claims are unfounded. Afghan media outlets based abroad and international news organizations have reported in recent weeks that women are prohibited from hearing other women's voices, citing an audio recording of Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the head of the PVPV, discussing prayer rules. PVPV spokesman Saiful Islam Khyber dismissed these reports as 'brainless' and 'illogical' in a voice recording verified by AFP. 'A woman can talk to another woman, women need to interact with one another in society, women do have their needs,' he clarified. However, he noted that there are exceptions based on Islamic law, such as Hanafi's directive that women should use hand gestures instead of raising their voices to communicate with other women during prayers.
Women in Afghanistan are prohibited from singing or reciting poetry aloud in public, according to a recent 'vice and virtue' law that outlines extensive behavioral codes. This law mandates that women's voices should be 'concealed' along with their bodies when outside their homes. Additionally, women's voices have been banned from television and radio broadcasts in certain provinces. The law formalizes numerous rules the Taliban government has enforced based on their strict interpretation of Islamic law since taking power in 2021, with women facing the most severe restrictions, which the United Nations has termed 'gender apartheid'. The Taliban authorities have banned education beyond secondary school for girls and women, and have also barred them from various jobs, parks, and other public spaces. The Taliban government asserts that all Afghan citizens' rights are protected under Islamic law.
Source link: https://www.khaleejtimes.com
