- By Aashish Vashistha
- Wed, 30 Oct 2024 10:31 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Taliban have reportedly issued a new decree prohibiting women from reciting the Quran aloud in the presence of other women, raising significant concerns about the implications for women's roles in spiritual and communal life under Taliban rule. This latest restriction adds to a growing list of limitations on women's freedoms since the group's return to power in 2021.
The order was issued by the Taliban's minister for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, as reported by Amu TV, a Virginia-based Afghan news channel.
“When women are not allowed to call Takbir or Azan (the Islamic call to prayer), they certainly cannot sing songs or enjoy music,” Hanafi was quoted as saying by the Amu TV.
The Telegraph also covered Hanafi's claim that a woman's voice is regarded as "awrah," meaning it should be hidden and not heard in public, even among other women.
A midwife in Herat informed Amu TV that female healthcare workers are prohibited from speaking in public, especially in the presence of male relatives. These women are among the few in Afghanistan allowed to work outside their homes.
“They don’t even allow us to speak at checkpoints on our way to work, and in clinics, we are instructed not to discuss medical issues with male relatives,” the midwife told Amu TV.
The latest directive comes amid a series of restrictions placed on Afghan women by the Taliban, including an August rule requiring full-body coverings, including face coverings while going out in public places.