Taliban Enforces New Ban: Women Prohibited from Listening to Each Other During Prayers
Latest restrictions further curtail women’s freedoms in Afghanistan.
The Taliban has introduced yet another restriction on women, banning them from using their voices in the presence of other women while praying. This new rule prohibits Afghan women from reciting the Quran aloud when other women are present, marking an extension of the severe limitations imposed on women’s rights.
Taliban’s minister of vice and virtue, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, issued an audio statement last week declaring that a woman’s voice is considered awrah (which means something that must be covered) and should not be audible, even to other women. Since their return to power in August 2021, the Taliban has imposed numerous restrictions on Afghan women, including barring them from education, employment, and public spaces.
This latest decree adds to the growing list of Taliban-imposed social constraints, including the closure of beauty salons, mandatory male guardianship for travel, and the enforcement of full-body coverings for women.
The international community has repeatedly condemned the Taliban’s actions, with calls for greater pressure to restore women’s rights in Afghanistan. However, the Taliban leadership shows no signs of easing these restrictions, further isolating Afghan women from public life.