“Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice”, New Law, Sharia… What About Women's Rights in Afghanistan ?

On August 15, 2021, the Taliban returned to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. More than three years later, the regime is becoming increasingly repressive towards women's rights in the country.

The law promulgated by the Taliban government to "promote virtue and prevent vice" governs many aspects of Afghan life according to Islamic law, Sharia. Here is what we know about this 87-page text and 35 articles.

The main new features

– The most radical concerns the voice of women (already banned from the education system beyond primary school), which must no longer be heard outside their homes.

– A man cannot look at the body or face of a woman who does not belong to his family, and vice versa.

– A woman must cover herself completely in front of a non-Muslim woman.

– Men must wear a beard, longer than a fist.

– When exercising, a man must be covered with loose clothing at least from the navel below the knee.

– The media must not publish information that mocks or humiliates Muslims.

– Transport companies must adapt their routes to allow passengers and drivers to pray on time.

– Sodomy is banned "even with one's wife".

– Traditional games with hard-boiled eggs, nuts or sheep bones are prohibited.

– Taking or viewing photos or videos of living beings on computers or smartphones is prohibited.

– It is forbidden to have friendly relations with non-Muslims and to provide them with assistance.

– Disobedience to parents is banned.

The provisions already known

Many obligations have already been imposed for three ans :

– The obligation of a "mahram", a male companion of the family, for women's travels.

– Women must be covered from head to toe (hijab).

– Prayer (at the appointed time) and fasting during Ramadan are obligatory.

– Music in public is forbidden, as is gambling.

– Celebrations of Nowrouz (Persian New Year), the winter solstice and fireworks are banned.

– Adultery, homosexuality, drugs and contraband are forbidden.

– Transporting an unveiled woman is banned and "to be avoided" if her mahram is “not of sound mind” or too young.

– Segregation of men and women is required in most public places.

The gray areas

The law leaves important questions unanswered.

– It allows women to leave their homes alone “in case of great need” without more than precision.

– Since friendly relations with non-Muslims are banned, can Afghans still work in companies in non-Muslim countries? ? Can Kabul cooperate with these countries? ?

– The brigades of the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV) can apply any sanction they consider “appropriate” (up to three days of detention) and which is not “the exclusive prerogative of the courts”. Will this morality police be able, for example, to whip Afghans in the street??

The application of the law

The law came into force on July 31. Will it be fully implemented, and when?? Women, who can no longer make their voices heard, still express themselves on radio and television. Will the law be applied uniformly, including in the least "rigorous" provinces, such as Kabul ?

How will the morality police be able to enforce the ban, for example, on any photos or videos of humans, animals or plants on mobile phones or their publication in the media ?

First testimonies

According to testimonies collected by AFP, in Kabul the PVPV is actively patrolling and issues warnings to women without a “mahram”, with poorly covered hair or without gloves.

In the central province of Parwan, women have been reprimanded for not wearing a mask and in Mazar-e-Sharif (north), a taxi driver claims to have been “warned many times not to transport women without a mahram or without a hijab”.

A 23-year-old man from Kabuli says he has been arrested three times for not wearing a beard. “I was scared and promised them I would leave it “push”, he told AFP.

Already, in a private bank, AFP journalists have noted that all the men have swapped their Western suits for the shalwar kameez, a traditional puffy outfit.