A Taliban minister says it is illegal for women to speak together.

In a recent audio statement, Hanafi, who is blacklisted by the United Nations and sanctioned by the European Union, emphasized that adult women must refrain from performing Takbir—an Islamic prayer—or reciting the Quran aloud in the presence of other women. The directive has incited strong backlash, with Afghan women calling for the defense of their rights amid what many view as extreme and oppressive policies.

“I have been working in clinics in remote areas for eight years, but in these last two months, the Taliban’s oversight has intensified,” said Samira, a midwife in Herat. She described how Taliban officials now forbid female healthcare workers from meeting with male companions of female patients, limiting their ability to provide care. “They don’t even allow us to speak at checkpoints when we go to work. And in the clinics, we’re told not to discuss medical matters with male relatives,” she added.

The ministry’s new rules demand that women cover all parts of their bodies, including their faces, and now restrict their voices even within the home. Mr. Hanafi reiterated in his statement that women should not recite Quranic verses or prayers aloud, claiming, “If a woman is not permitted to perform Takbir, then how could she be allowed to sing?”

Afghan women and rights advocates have condemned these measures, describing them as part of a broader “misogynistic” policy that restricts women’s ability to move, work, and even speak freely. “How are women who are the sole providers for their families supposed to buy bread, seek medical care, or simply exist if even their voices are forbidden?” said a women’s rights activist. “These orders immobilize women and have made life exhausting for all of us.”

The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, widely considered the force behind the group’s restrictive policies, has come under scrutiny from the international community. The United Nations and human rights organizations have sharply criticized the Taliban’s systematic rollbacks on women’s rights, which have left Afghan women with severely limited freedoms.

In keeping with its regulations, the ministry has even banned the release of visual images showing any living beings, including in official broadcasts.