Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has issued a directive for Afghan officials to enforce a stringent new morality law that significantly curtails women’s rights, reflecting the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic society.
According to a statement from the Information and Culture Department of Faryab province, Akhundzada, who rules by decree from his secretive base in southern Kandahar, instructed civil and military officials to implement “the law of promoting virtue in society.” The order was issued during a rare visit by Akhundzada to the northern province of Faryab last week.
The newly imposed law imposes severe restrictions on women, prohibiting them from raising their voices in public and mandating that they cover their entire bodies and faces whenever they leave their homes, which is permitted only “out of necessity.”
The decree also imposes strict regulations on men’s behavior and attire, including prohibitions on wearing shorts above the knee and closely trimming their beards.
This latest move by the Taliban underscores their continued enforcement of an austere vision of Islamic law, further rolling back the rights and freedoms of women and imposing rigid controls on Afghan society.
