Once again, women fall victim to the restrictions imposed by the Taliban. Dozens of women from areas of Kabul were arrested by a group from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Taliban said that that these women were arrested for not wearing proper hijab in public spaces.
In recent days, Taliban forces have taken many women into custody from various areas of Kabul city, including Taimani Project, Khairkhane and Kart-e-Char, on the charge of ‘improper veiling’ or not complying with the clothing required by this group.
Taliban’s first dress code crackdown: ‘improper hijab’
This is not the first time, since the takeover of Afghanistan, that the Taliban have arrested women. Women’s human rights activists raised their voices in the early days of the Taliban government, and many of them have been arrested; Zarifa Yaqoobi, Farhat Popalzai, Humaira Yusuf and their colleagues have been detained. These are just a few names out of the many women detained for demanding freedoms that the Taliban government have suppressed.
On 1 January 2024, the Taliban started the first dress code crackdown and arrested an unknown number of women and girls for not wearing the proper burqa or hijab.
The Taliban police have beaten and arrested four young women for ‘improper’ clothing in the Nili district of Daikundi province on Monday afternoon, sources in the province said to Rukhshana Media.
The Taliban have ordered women not to wear sneakers and jeans but instead the burqa veil.
The life of Afghan women is limited to the four walls of the house as they are not allowed to go out without a male companion or allowed access to higher education. The Taliban are converting women’s lives into cages.
A just society
It is disheartening to see the miserable impact of the Taliban regime on women. Such restrictions can have profound consequences on individuals and society. International awareness and advocacy play a crucial role in addressing these issues. On this issue, all the efforts of the international community have failed.
Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf, a known face in the country, said in response to the Taliban’s recent arrests of girls from different parts of Kabul and the Daikundi province, that the Taliban regime asks people to “fear God and be ashamed of people” and “you with what religious practice you teach women – you are touching a woman you are not related to, dragged her, beat and tortured her, then took her to a prison where men are guards?”
No treatment for women without male chaperones
Women in the Nangarhar province are no longer allowed to enter a hospital for treatment without a male chaperone. Female patients are sent back home and asked to return for treatment with their male companion. If anyone disobeys this order, they will be severely punished by the regime.
The Taliban are running the current government with a distinct ideological and political agenda. While they may share some cultural and ethnic ties with average citizens in Afghanistan, their actions and beliefs often differ significantly; many civilians may not support the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic law or their use of violence. It’s important to recognize that individuals within a society can have diverse perspectives that may not align with the ideologies of groups like the Taliban.
