Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – In a sweeping move that further restricts the rights of Afghan women, the Taliban regime has issued a decree prohibiting women from praying aloud in the presence of one another. Announced by Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, Taliban minister for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the new mandate claims that a woman’s voice is considered “awrah”—an aspect of herself that must remain concealed—and should not be heard by others, even by other women. The order, reported by Afghan news channel Amu TV, forbids women from reciting the Quran aloud in gatherings, a decision justified by Hanafi on the grounds that women are already barred from making the call to prayer, or Azan, and are similarly forbidden from singing or listening to music. This decree has sparked fears among experts that Afghan women may lose yet another avenue for expression, pushing them further into isolation within the home and restricting their religious freedoms.
This latest restriction adds to the growing list of oppressive measures the Taliban has imposed since its return to power in 2021. In August, the Taliban mandated full-body coverings for women, including face veils, when in public spaces. In addition, female healthcare workers, among the very few Afghan women still allowed to work outside the home, face limits on their public speech. A midwife in Herat explained to Amu TV that they are prohibited from speaking at checkpoints and are discouraged from discussing medical issues with male relatives, underscoring the Taliban’s continued suppression of women’s voices.
While the latest decree’s formal enforcement status remains unclear, human rights advocates fear that it could exacerbate the erasure of women from Afghan society, intensifying their exclusion from public life. The Taliban’s ongoing restrictions on women’s freedoms have drawn sharp condemnation from organizations like Amnesty International, which has highlighted a surge in forced and early marriages, limitations on women’s access to work and education, rigid dress code enforcement, and the detention of women under accusations of “moral corruption.” As Afghan women endure increasing isolation under these escalating rules, human rights groups worldwide are urgently calling for interventions to protect the basic freedoms of Afghan women, who now face an increasingly bleak future.
