Wear All-Covering Burqa 'To Avoid Provocation When Meeting Men': Taliban's Oppressive Decree For Afghan Women

Even before the decree on burqa, the Taliban have been forcing women to cover themselves up as its religious police put up posters around the capital Kabul ordering Afghan women to cover up.

Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada has ordered the women in Afghanistan to wear the all-covering burqa in public.

Source : ANI | AFP

New Delhi: Afghanistan's supreme leader and Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada on Saturday ordered the Afghan women to wear the all-covering burqa in public. "They should wear a chadori (head-to-toe burqa) as it is traditional and respectful," said a decree issued by Akhundzada, as quoted by news agency AFP. The decree, released by Taliban authorities at an event in Kabul, once again highlights the harsh controls imposed on women since the hardline Islamists seized power in August last year.

According to AFP, the decree further states that "those women who are not too old or young must cover their face, except the eyes, as per sharia directives, in order to avoid provocation when meeting men who are not mahram (adult close male relatives)".

If women had no important work outside it was "better they stay at home", it mentions.

While the Taliban attempted to portray itself as being reformed to a contemporary approach following its takeover of Kabul, the regime appears to be getting closer to the harsh restrictions on women seen during the ultra-conservative rule between 1996 and 2001.

Even before the decree on burqa was announced, the Taliban have been forcing women to cover themselves up as its religious police put up posters around the capital Kabul ordering Afghan women to cover up.

Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice pasted the poster on cafes and shops featuring images of the face-covering burqa. 

"According to Sharia law, Muslim women must wear the hijab," the posters mentioned, as reported by news agency ANI.

In December 2021, the Taliban issued a repressive directive stating that Afghan women travelling long distances by road should be offered transport only if accompanied by a male relative. 

Taliban also received worldwide condemnation as it decided to close all secondary schools for girls. Several activists and world leaders urged the Taliban to reconsider the ban on limiting education for girls. 

(With Agency Inputs)