Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has directed officials to enact Afghanistan's “morality law”, formalising and codifying the restrictions on women and other groups in the country. The Ministry of Propagation of Virtue, Prevention of Vice and Hearing Complaints published the 114-page code, the first formal enactment of such laws since the Taliban took power in August 2021, late last month. What does Afghanistan’s new morality law say? The code makes it mandatory for a woman to veil her entire body at all times in public, and deems a face covering as “essential to avoid temptation and tempting others”. The Associated Press quoted the document as saying that a woman’s voice is deemed “intimate”, and should not be heard singing, reciting, or reading aloud in public. A report in The Guardian noted a provision that says women should not be heard singing or reading aloud even inside their homes. According to the AP report, the playing of music and mixing of men and women who not related are banned. Women and men are forbidden from even looking at each other if they are not related by blood or marriage. An AFP report said the code also requires men to not wear shorts above the knee or closely trim their beards. Other provisions in the code sanction the persecution of LGBTQ people and religious minorities. Ravina Shamdasani, chief spokesperson of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the law effectively renders women “faceless, voiceless shadows”. What are its implications? In the past, the Taliban have enforced such policies using threats, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and excessive force, according to a UN report. Heather Barr, associate director of the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, told Reuters: “A lot of these rules were in place already, but less formally — and now they are being formalised. This is a sign of what we’ve been seeing over the last three years., a steady and gradual escalation of the crackdown.” The regime completed three years in power in August. UN experts said the code introduces “new, even more repressive measures”. “Empowered by the new law, the Taliban's morality inspectors have extensive authority to arbitrarily detain and punish individuals. Ordinary citizens [are] encouraged to report transgressions,” they said — which would worsen the “already pervasive climate of fear and surveillance across Afghan society”. How does it compare to the earlier Taliban regime? UN experts described the measures as “gender apartheid”, and “disturbingly similar” to what was seen in the previous Taliban regime (1996-2001). “The group has not moderated its approach since its return to power,” they said. The Taliban were driven from power by US-led forces who invaded Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks in 2001; however, the group could never be destroyed. As the costs of the US presence mounted and the American-backed government struggled to establish control Afghanistan, several rounds of talks were held between the US government and the Taliban in Doha, mediated by Qatar, for a power-sharing agreement. Many cautioned against engaging with the Taliban, but the US, desperate to get out of Afghanistan, went ahead. In 2020, the Doha Agreement was signed, and the US said it would withdraw its armed forces after talks between the Taliban and Afghan government to decide the future of Afghanistan’s democracy. By mid-2021, as the full US withdrawal neared, Taliban forces gained ground in major cities in quick succession. The last American forces left amid chaos, with the Taliban in Kabul, and President Ashraf Ghani having fled the country. In the first press conference since the Taliban gained control of Kabul, its spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said, “Our sisters, our men have the same rights,” adding, “They are going to be working with us, shoulder to shoulder with us.” Barr wrote at the time how many Afghan women expressed their apprehension, given their earlier experiences: “Even in the news conference designed to reassure women, cracks were showing. Mujahid also said: ‘[T]here’s not going to be any discrimination against women, but of course within the frameworks that we have. Our women are Muslim. They will also be happy to be living within our frameworks of Sharia.’” Soon after, the Taliban banned education for girls beyond Class 6. Punishments such as public stoning, flogging, and executions have also been reported since then. The US has made its support to the Taliban in part contingent on such measures being withdrawn. But several Muslim-majority countries and China have given de facto recognition to the regime.
