ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The Taliban leadership on Monday firmly dismissed international concerns regarding the imposition of stringent laws targeting the visibility and vocal presence of women in Afghanistan. This new legal framework, which mandates women to cover their faces and prohibits their speaking in public, has sparked significant international backlash.
Roza Otunbayeva, leader of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, communicated deep distress regarding these developments. On Sunday, she critiqued the measures for intensifying already severe limitations on women and girls. According to Otunbayeva, even the natural act of a woman speaking outside her home is now potentially construed as a moral offence under these laws.
In a rebuff to these criticisms, Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban government, called for respect and understanding of Islamic law, framing the resistance to these laws as a form of cultural arrogance. He stated, “A comprehensive grasp of the Islamic principles that guide these laws is essential for their acceptance. Dismissing them without this understanding amounts to prejudice.”
The Taliban, who regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, issued this first set of vice and virtue laws last Wednesday. Amongst other restrictions, these laws forbid women from revealing their faces, bodies, or voices in public and also bar the display of all forms of imagery representing living beings.
Critics argue these laws severely infringe human rights and worsen the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Otunbayeva lamented the harsh punitive measures that could befall anyone breaking these new morale codes, such as those delayed for prayers, interacting with non-family members of the opposite sex, or possessing personal photographs.
Mujahid remains unyielding, emphasizing that criticism from international entities will not deter the Islamic Emirate’s commitment to these laws. According to him, the implementation of these laws is in alignment with Sharia, and as such, they remain non-negotiable.
Even diplomatic missions in Afghanistan, rarely vocal, have echoed concerns about the ongoing suppression of women and girls’ rights. The Japanese Embassy in Kabul articulated its apprehensions on Monday, stressing the importance of heeding the appeals of Afghan women and girls especially regarding their rights to education, work and freedom of movement, which are crucial for the nation’s future.
The legal constraints are part of the Taliban’s broader initiative to establish a society strictly aligned with their interpretation of Islamic law. Since their return to power, the Taliban have systematically restricted women’s participation in public life, barring them from most employment opportunities and secondary education.
These developments heighten international debates around the intersection of human rights and cultural sovereignty, with various global players weighing in on whether such strict interpretations of religious law justify the overriding of universal human rights standards.