Muhammad Sadiq Akif, the Taliban’s Information and Public Relations Officer and Spokesperson of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Promoting Virtue and Preventing Evil, said in an interview on Thursday that women lose value if men see their unconcealed faces in public.
It has been two years since the Taliban came back to power and initiated a series of restricted rules and strict regulations over women’s rights and education. They have argued that their lack of following codes pertinent to wearing a proper hijab, or Islamic headscarf, is a reason for barring them from public spaces, including parks, jobs, and colleges.
“It is very bad to see women without hijab in some areas (big cities), and our scholars also agree that women’s faces should be hidden,” Sadiq Akif emphasized. “It’s not that her face will be harmed or damaged. A woman has her own value, and that value decreases when men look at her. Allah gives respect to females in hijab, and there is value in this.”
The spokesperson refrained from answering the questions in regards to the ban on women’s education and avoided giving any clues on withdrawing these restrictions if there were to be universal compliance with hijab rules. He stated that other ministries exist to address these issues.
Sadiq Akif assures that there are no hurdles in the ministry’s work as people support their initiatives. Akif said, “People wanted to implement Sharia (Islamic law) here. Now we’re carrying out the implementation of Sharia. All the decrees are Islamic rulings, and the Taliban have added nothing to them.” In addition to that, he highlighted, “The orders of Sharia were issued 1,400 years ago, and they are still there.”
Two-Year Anniversary of Taliban’s Rule
He also accentuated their achievement by comparing their ruling with the previous government, as he claimed that there is no longer harassment by men or uneasiness staring at women under their administration. The government claimed that they’ve eradicated the traces of “evils” such as alcohol drinking and Bacha bāzī, a practice in which powerful men sexually exploit boys for entertainment.
Sadiq Akif said that the ministry uses a network of officials and informants to check on the people to see whether they are following rules and regulations or not. “Our ombudsmen walk in markets, public places, universities, schools, madrasas, and mosques,” Sadiq Akif said. “They visit all these places and watch people. They also speak with them and educate them. We monitor them, and people also cooperate with and inform us.”
In regards to women’s entry to parks, as they were recently banned from that public space by the authorities, he highlighted that some requirements need to be met. “You can go to the park, but only if there are no men there. If there are men, then Sharia does not allow it. We don’t say that a woman can’t do sports; she can’t go to the park or run. She can do all these things, but not in the same way as some women want, to be semi-naked and among men.”
Global Reaction To The Taliban’s Curtailments
Such comments have elicited strong global condemnation from various individuals and organizations. On Tuesday, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous called on “all actors to join us in supporting Afghan women in every way, elevating their voices, priorities, and recommendations, funding the services they so desperately need, and supporting their businesses and organizations. I urge the international community to continue to apply every pressure and employ every means at their disposal to press for change, including by answering the call of the humanitarian community and fully funding the humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan.” In addition to that, she urged “the Taliban to reconsider and weigh the cost of these acts for Afghanistan’s present and future.”
Similarly, on Wednesday, U.N. special envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown said the International Criminal Court should prosecute Taliban leaders for crimes against humanity for denying education and employment to Afghan girls and women.
