Taliban Put New Limits on Afghan Women’s Right to Free Speech
In a new escalation of restrictions on women, Taliban official Khalid Hanafi, the minister for the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice, announced that adult women in Afghanistan are now forbidden from allowing their voices to be heard by other women. Hanafi emphasized that women must refrain from performing Takbir—an Islamic prayer—or reciting the Quran aloud when in the presence of other women.
This announcement has provoked widespread outrage among Afghan women and rights advocates. Samira, a midwife in Herat, shared her frustration: “I have been working in clinics in remote areas for eight years, but in these last two months, the Taliban’s oversight has intensified.” She explained that health care workers are now barred from speaking with male companions of female patients, further complicating their work. “They don’t even allow us to speak at checkpoints when we go to work,” she added.
Hanafi defended the new rule, stating that if women are not allowed to perform Takbir, they should certainly not be allowed to sing. The regulations now require women to cover all parts of their bodies, including their faces, and silence their voices even within their homes.
Women’s rights activists have condemned the directive, saying it cripples women’s ability to live normal lives. One activist remarked, “How are women supposed to buy food, seek medical help, or even exist if their voices are forbidden?”
