The Taliban took another step this Saturday (7) to curtail the freedoms of women in Afghanistan, imposing the use of veils in public instead of the burqa, a symbol of oppression against women in the country.
Hibatullah Akhundzade, the religious leader of the Taliban and Afghanistan, ordered women to cover their bodies and faces completely when going out, adding that the veil that covers even the eyes is the burqa, in a decree issued to the press in Kabul. It is the best option for this. The decree states that women “must wear a tchadri (another name for the burka) as it is traditional and respectful.”
“Women who are neither too young nor too old should cover their faces, except for their eyes, according to Sharia recommendations to avoid any provocation when they meet a man,” the text explains. If they have no reason to go out, “it’s better for them to stay at home,” says the decree.
Penalties for the head of the household
The document also lists the penalties suffered by family heads who do not wear headscarves to women in the household.
Since the Taliban returned to power in mid-August 2021, the dreaded Ministry for the Promotion of Virtues and the Prevention of Evil has issued several recommendations on how women should dress. However, this is the first public announcement on the subject made at the national level.
The Taliban had previously required women to wear at least a headscarf, a scarf that covers their heads but exposes their faces, and strongly recommended that they wear a burqa. Fundamentalists imposed the dress during their first term in power from 1996 to 2001.
In this first regime, the Taliban deprived women of almost all rights according to an overly strict interpretation of Sharia law, Islamic law. Agents from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtues and the Prevention of Violence suppressed those caught without a burqa.
promises denied
In this second period, after 20 years of occupation by the US and its allies, the Taliban promised to be more resilient. But the promise was short-lived and resulted in the increasing disenfranchisement of women who had enjoyed freedom in the country for two decades. They returned to school and universities and were able to apply for jobs in all sectors, no matter how socially conservative Afghanistan remained.
Now, however, women are de facto banned from working in the civil service, and they are prohibited from traveling abroad or making long journeys within the country unless accompanied by a male family member.
In March, the Taliban closed schools for girls over the age of 12, just hours after a long-announced reopening. This unexpected event, justified by the fact that “the education of girls must be carried out according to Sharia law”, scandalized the international community.
The Taliban also mandated segregation of men and women in public parks in Kabul, and visiting days were enforced for each gender.
Women even tried to claim their rights with protests in Kabul and major Afghan cities after the Taliban’s return to power. But fundamentalists suppressed the movement, arresting many activists and detaining a few for weeks.
The burqa is a traditional Afghan garment commonly worn in the most remote and conservative parts of the country. Even before the Taliban came back to power, the vast majority of Afghan women wore veils, but most simply preferred a loose headscarf.
*with information from AFP
source: Noticias
