The Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has mandated Afghan officials to enforce a new morality law that significantly curtails women’s rights and enshrines an austere vision of Islamic society. This sweeping law, consisting of 35 articles, was formally announced last month, sparking condemnation from the international community and rights organizations.
The law dictates that women must cover their faces, bodies, and voices in public. Women are also prohibited from raising their voices in public and are required to cover their entire bodies and faces if they leave their homes, which they are instructed to do only “out of necessity.”
Men’s behavior and dress are also strictly regulated under the law, including prohibitions on wearing shorts above the knee and closely trimming beards. Additional provisions include mandatory prayer attendance, bans on keeping photos of living beings, homosexuality, animal fighting, playing music in public, and celebrating non-Muslim holidays.
The law establishes a system of punishments that morality police are authorized to enforce, ranging from verbal warnings to fines and detentions of varying lengths.
Akhundzada, who governs by decree from a hideout in southern Kandahar, issued the order during a rare visit to northern Faryab province last week. This marks his first official visit to northern Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
The international response to the new law has been swift and critical. Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, described the law as presenting a “distressing vision for Afghanistan’s future.”
The enforcement of this new law further solidifies the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic law, which has raised concerns about the future of human rights and gender equality in Afghanistan.
