Human rights in Afghanistan: Taliban ban women from singing and reading in public

The Taliban in Afghanistan prohibit women from singing or reciting in public, and they must also cover themselves completely in the presence of strange men. This is stipulated in a new so-called virtue law signed by the supreme leader of the militant Islamists, Haibatullah Akhundsada, the Ministry of Justice announced.

The rules are intended to enforce the strict requirements of the so-called morality police. According to them, women must cover their faces and bodies in the presence of men who are not related to them. A woman’s voice is considered to be intimate, so they are also forbidden from singing, reading aloud or reciting in public. The law prescribes beard and trouser length for men.

Homosexuality and music also banned

Other bans for men and women include homosexuality, music and extramarital relationships. These regulations are not new; they already existed as guidelines from the Ministry of Virtue. Now the Ministry of Justice has set them down in writing and commissioned the Ministry of Virtue to enforce them. According to observers, it remains to be seen how consistently the rules will actually be enforced.

When they regained power in August 2021, the Taliban had promised a more moderate form of government. However, their government is extremely authoritarian. They have been criticized internationally, especially for their massive curtailment of women’s rights.

Baerbock: “Almost 100 pages of misogyny”

There was sharp criticism from Germany. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote on Platform X that the Virtue Law was “almost 100 pages of misogyny”. The misanthropic rules “silenced half the country”. The Virtue Law shows once again that there can be no relations with radical Islamists, said the Green politician.