Taliban Now Bans Afghan Women from Reciting the Quran Aloud, Tightens Grip on Women’s Rights

In Afghanistan, the Taliban has issued a new rule that stops women from reading the Quran aloud, even around other women. This latest restriction, shared by Virginia-based Amu TV, intensifies the harsh measures Afghan women have faced since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s minister of virtue, explained that women are not allowed to call out religious prayers like the takbir (saying "God is Great") or the athan (call to prayer). He added, “If women can’t make the call to prayer, singing or music is definitely out.” He also said that women’s voices are considered "awrah," which means something private, not to be heard by others, including other women.

This new rule adds to the strict list of mandates targeting Afghan women. Just recently, women were told to fully cover their bodies and faces in public, a rule approved by the Taliban’s leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada. The Taliban describes these rules as ways to prevent “wrongdoings,” making women’s voices, clothing, and even presence viewed as potential “moral dangers.”

Many Afghan women and human rights advocates are worried this latest ban could go beyond prayer, maybe even restricting women’s regular conversations and further reducing their presence in society. According to a BBC report, the Taliban now sees women’s voices as “instruments of vice,” so they can’t read or sing aloud—not even at home.

Rules have become so tight that Afghan women are also not allowed to make eye contact with men who aren’t close family. Taxi drivers face strict penalties if they drive an unaccompanied woman. A midwife in Herat told Amu TV that Taliban officials won’t let her discuss medical matters with male relatives even at health checkpoints.

Women who break these rules can be detained or punished. And taxis are banned from transporting women who are alone, even as the Taliban keeps an eye on medical workers to prevent them from speaking freely.

Around the world, people and organizations like the United Nations are condemning the Taliban’s treatment of Afghan women. Roza Otunbayeva, the U.N.'s special representative for Afghanistan, has called these restrictions “unbearable.”

Since the Taliban took over three years ago, even if these rules aren’t always strictly enforced, fear keeps women from trying to break them. While some women are still seen in public spaces in Kabul, most are completely covered in loose black clothing or dark blue burqas, with only their eyes visible.

Nausheen, an Afghan activist who used to march in Kabul to demand women’s rights, shared her sadness: “Every moment here feels like being in a prison. Even breathing is hard,” she told the BBC.

Sources: Internet Sources & Twitter X 

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