Amnesty International states that the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan are facing severe and escalating attacks that affect all aspects of their lives.
In response to recent comments by Khalid Hanafi, the acting head of the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice regarding women’s voices, the organization said: “After the ban on women speaking in public, the current government now states that women cannot pray loudly enough for another woman to hear.”
The organization emphasized that the caretaker government must immediately revoke all decrees and actions that violate the human rights of women and girls.
It continues: “These additional restrictions come at a time when women and girls in Afghanistan are facing increasingly severe attacks on their rights, impacting all areas of their lives.”
This comes as Khalid Hanafi recently stated that the law of promotion of virtue stipulates that “women cannot sing, recite, or read songs aloud.”
The Minister of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice mentioned that when an adult woman is praying, another adult woman passing in front of her is not allowed to say “Alhamdulillah” or “Subhanallah.”
Mr. Hanafi stated that women are not allowed to perform the call to prayer (Adhan) or the Takbir, so how can they sing?
It is noteworthy that the law of promotion of virtue and prevention of vice under the caretaker government states that “hiding a woman’s face due to fear of fitna (temptation) is necessary.” The current government considers women’s loud voices as part of their ‘awrah (intimate parts) that must be concealed.
It should be noted that women and girls in Afghanistan have faced severe deprivation and restrictions since the current government took power. Currently, women and girls above the sixth grade are unable to attend school, university, or work.
Additionally, women are prohibited from going to sports clubs, restaurants, public baths, being examined by male doctors, traveling without a male guardian, working in domestic and international NGOs, and even at United Nations offices in Afghanistan.
