Taliban's New Imposed Laws for Afghanistan

By: Neftun Choudhury Ever since the Taliban regained control and power over Afghanistan in 2021, the country has been in the spotlight of the world. A large emphasis has been placed on the rights of Afghani women, which can be easily understood as they’ve been stripped of basic humanitarian rights. Their freedoms have been restricted on multiple fronts: from not being allowed a higher education, to being prohibited from even stepping outside of their homes unless out of necessity, to now no longer being able to speak amongst other Afghani women. 

The fact that these new laws are being implemented means only one thing; so much has been taken away from them that now it seems as if the Taliban are running out of ways to exclude women from society. But where does this stop? The country’s minister for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Khalid Hanafi, announced the new edict on female behavior is necessary as a woman's voice is considered “awrah” (something that should be covered), not only in public but also within private settings. With prominent news flashes in October of this year, at this time women are prohibited from speaking to one another and interacting with each other publicly. 

This is all being put in place because the Taliban are said to be using the Islamic Sharia law.  It’s clear, however, to say that the Taliban are simply using this rationale as an excuse to render women invisible. Nowhere in the Sharia Law does it state all these exclusions must be mandated. These laws are regressing the country as women in Afghanistan have fewer rights than they did 60 years ago. Society is going backward in such a way that depicts the true hierarchy our world holds as of now. It’s quite astonishing to think that in the 21st century, as more countries are being open-minded and accepting of the fact that individuals of all kinds are still human at the end of the day, certain countries are moving backward in history.

"Animals have more rights than women in Afghanistan," says Tahmeena Fayral, who is in the United States to speak up about the crisis Afghani women are facing. (CBS News)

This is one of many voices speaking up against the many atrocities happening. Stripping women of their right to their education, to work, to walk outside, go to parks, interact with non-male family members…the list goes on. The Taliban's approach, driven by a strict interpretation of Sharia law, has made even basic human interaction for women a matter of severe restriction. The absurdity of these rules becomes evident in their total disregard for basic functioning in society. In essence, these policies illustrate an ideological obsession with control, reducing women to mere shadows of the nation's image. As international groups and human rights activists continue to voice their outrage, many view the Taliban's actions as an irrational pursuit of a vision that undermines the very fabric of human rights and decency.

People Are Protesting About Rights For Women In Afghanistan.

BIBLIOGRAPHY "Taliban Restrictions on Women's Rights deepen Afghanistan's Crisis" crisisgroup.org, Feb. 2023, p.1. https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/afghanistan/329-taliban-restrictions-womens-rights-deepen-afghanistans-crisis "UN official meets Taliban deputy premier over women’s rights in Afghanistan" pbs.org, Jan. 2023, p.1. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/un-official-meets-taliban-deputy-premier-over-womens-rights-in-afghanistan