Taliban Ban Women From Outdoor Restaurants In Afghanistan's Herat Province

Authorities say the curbs are in place because of gender mixing or because women allegedly are not wearing the hijab correctly.

Taliban banned women from outdoor restaurants in Herat Province ( Image Source :ANI File Photo )

New Delhi: The Taliban on Monday banned the entry of women and families into restaurants with gardens or green spaces in Afghanistan's northwestern Herat province, an official said Monday.

“The moves followed complaints from religious scholars and members of the public about mixing of genders in such places,” he said, as reported by PTI.

Authorities say the curbs are in place because of gender mixing or because women allegedly are not wearing the hijab correctly.

Since assuming power in August 2021, the Taliban has implemented a series of restrictions, including barring girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade, preventing women from pursuing higher education and most forms of employment, including jobs at the United Nations. Additionally, they have also imposed a ban on women accessing public spaces such as parks and gyms.

PTI reported that the outdoor dining ban only applies to establishments in Herat, where such premises remain open to men.

Baz Mohammad Nazir, a deputy official from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue's directorate in Herat, denied media reports that all restaurants were off limits to families and women, dismissing them as propaganda, according to PTI.

He said it applied only to restaurants with green areas, such as a park, where men and women could meet. "After repeated complaints from scholars and ordinary people, we set limits and closed these restaurants."

He also rejected allegations that the sale of foreign DVDs, including films, TV shows, and music, is prohibited in the province. Instead, he clarified that business owners were advised against selling such materials because they were deemed to be contrary to Islamic values.

“Shopkeepers who did not follow through on the advice eventually saw their shops closed,” Nazir added.

Azizurrahman Al Muhajir, who is head of the Vice and Virtue directorate in Herat, said, "It was like a park but they named it a restaurant and men and women were together. Thank God it has been corrected now. Also, our auditors are observing all the parks where men and women go," according to news agency ANI.