Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has mandated the enforcement of a new morality law that severely restricts personal freedoms and curtails women’s rights in Afghanistan. The law, introduced last month, formalizes and expands upon the restrictions that had been informally applied since the Taliban’s takeover of the country in 2021.
The new regulations include stringent measures for both women and men, aiming to impose an austere interpretation of Islamic principles on Afghan society. Key provisions of the law dictate that women must cover their entire bodies and faces when they are outside their homes, which should only be done out of necessity. The law also prohibits women from raising their voices in public and enforces strict dress codes, including forbidding men from wearing shorts above the knee and mandating that they keep their beards untrimmed.
In addition to these dress codes, the law encompasses a broad range of behavioral regulations. It mandates attendance at prayers, bans public music, animal fighting, and the keeping of photos of living beings. It also prohibits homosexuality and non-Muslim holidays. The law includes a system of graduated punishments for violations, ranging from verbal warnings and fines to detentions, which will be enforced by morality police.
Akhundzada, who operates largely from a secretive location in Kandahar, issued the directive during a rare official visit to the northern province of Faryab. This visit marked his first trip to northern Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power. The Supreme Leader’s decree reflects the Taliban’s commitment to their vision of enforcing Islamic morals and societal norms as they interpret them.
The international response to the new law has been overwhelmingly negative. Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, described the law as a “distressing vision for Afghanistan’s future,” highlighting concerns over its impact on human rights and individual freedoms. The formalization of these restrictions has sparked an outcry from global human rights organizations and has further strained Afghanistan’s relations with the international community.
The Taliban’s push to codify such laws underscores the regime’s resolve to reshape Afghan society according to its strict interpretation of Islamic law, despite widespread criticism and concerns about the erosion of basic human rights.
