Taliban Minister for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, has claimed that thousands of “harmful incidents” against women have been prevented since the group returned to power. This comes as the Taliban government continues to face widespread international criticism over its extensive restrictions on the rights of women and girls.
Speaking on Saturday (17 July) at a gathering in Nangarhar Province with religious scholars, tribal elders, and influential figures from the eastern region, Hanafi said that officials from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice had prevented thousands of cases of mistreatment against women since the Taliban takeover.
He also claimed that the objective of the past two decades of “ideological warfare” was to create a divide between the public and religious scholars. He added that if three religious scholars in any district raise a religious objection to the actions of a Taliban official and the issue remains unresolved, the official should be held accountable and questioned.
The Taliban’s minister for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice said that the group would leave behind a “fully Islamic system” for future generations one that, he claimed, people would pray for.
These remarks come as, since the Taliban’s return to power, girls above the sixth grade have been barred from attending school, women have been prohibited from many government and non-government jobs, and extensive restrictions have been imposed on their freedom of movement, social participation, and other fundamental rights.
The United Nations has stated in its recent reports that restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women and girls have contributed to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The international community considers the removal of restrictions on women and girls a key condition for recognizing the Taliban government. However, the Taliban insist that women’s rights are protected within the framework of Islamic law.
Meanwhile, in the final communiqué of the ninth conference of women ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the organization described the bans on girls’ education and women’s employment in Afghanistan as being contrary to Islamic values, as well as to the dignity and rights of women and girls.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
