
In a troubling development for women's rights in Afghanistan, the Taliban has reportedly issued a new decree prohibiting women from praying aloud in the presence of one another. This latest order further limits the already restricted freedoms of Afghan women.
The decree was communicated by Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban's minister for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice.
According to reports from Amu TV, a Virginia-based Afghan news channel, Hanafi emphasised that women should refrain from reciting the Quran audibly when in the company of other women. He stated, "When women are not allowed to call Takbir or Azan (the Islamic call to prayer), they certainly cannot sing songs or enjoy music."
Hanafi also claimed that a woman’s voice is considered “awrah,” which translates to something that must be concealed, suggesting that it should not be heard in public, even among women.
While the decree currently focuses on prayer, experts express concern that it may lead to broader implications, potentially restricting women's ability to speak freely in public and further marginalizing them within society. This directive follows a series of stringent measures imposed on Afghan women since the Taliban regained power in 2021, including an August mandate requiring women to wear full-body coverings, including face veils, when in public.
Earlier, Afghanistan's Taliban rulers implemented a controversial ban on women’s voices and bare faces in public, introduced under a new set of regulations aimed at promoting virtue and combating vice. Here's a list of other bans introduced formally by the Taliban government.
Key provisions of Article 13 require women to:
- cover their bodies in public
- mandating face coverings to avoid any temptation
- women must wear clothing that is not thin, tight, or short
- they are obliged to cover themselves in the presence of non-Muslim males and females
- no singing, reciting, or reading aloud in public (as their voices are considered intimate)
- it prohibits women from looking at men to whom they are not related and vice versa
Another law, article 17, imposes a ban on publishing images of living beings, further threatening Afghanistan's already fragile media landscape.
Moreover, Article 19 prohibits
- the playing of music
- the transportation of solo female travellers
- the mingling of unrelated men and women.
The decree mandates that passengers and drivers perform prayers at designated times.