In Afghanistan, the Taliban recently issued a new directive restricting women’s voices even further, banning them from reciting the Quran aloud when other women are present.
This mandate, declared by Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s minister for the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice, was reported by Amu TV, a US-based Afghan news channel.
Has Taliban Now Stopped Women To Hear Other Women While Praying?
Hanafi emphasized that since women are already barred from performing the Takbir or the Azan, they should also refrain from singing or any form of music. He explained, “If an adult female prays, her voice should not be loud enough for another female to hear. So, singing is certainly out of the question.”
The Taliban minister stated that a woman’s voice is regarded as “awrah,” a term denoting that which should remain concealed, meaning it should not be heard in public, even among other women.
Rights activists and experts worry that this directive could extend beyond prayer, further reducing women’s social interactions, limiting even private conversations.
This ruling follows a law enacted in August, mandating women cover their entire bodies, including their faces, in public. According to a midwife in Herat, Taliban officials have instructed female healthcare workers not to speak at checkpoints or discuss medical issues with male relatives, effectively silencing them at work.
Social media reaction has been swift and critical. Journalist Lina Rozbih expressed outrage, saying, “After silencing women in public, the Taliban’s ministry has restricted women from speaking to one another. I am appalled by this inhumane treatment. The world must intervene for Afghanistan’s voiceless women.”
Former Afghan diplomat Nazifa Haqpal criticized the rule as “beyond misogyny,” pointing out the excessive control it seeks to impose. Activist Zubaida Akbar demanded accountability, calling it an act of “gender apartheid” and noting that Hanafi, who authored a lengthy book of similar decrees, is the face behind these oppressive policies.
