They drag Afghans back under the draconian Islamic sharia law they have created and then defiantly distance their regime from the international community. Official and unofficial, the latest restrictions include restrictions on women’s travel, men’s grooming and access to international media, public parks, and access to international news.
There are no solo flights for women
The Taliban have instructed airlines to prohibit women flying alone without male relatives.
Both employees of an airline and a travel agency said that the order was passed to them this week by CBS News. However, Akif Muhajer (a spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Promotion of Vice and Virtue) denied that such an order had been given.
The ministry outlawed women traveling more than 45 miles without a chaperone in December.
“A woman who booked to fly domestically was denied boarding. She missed her flight.” She asked for a refund. The travel agent said that she was crying because she didn’t have a male relative in her family.
Many Afghan families lost their male members in the 20-year war that began with the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban regime in 2001. Many other Afghan men fled Afghanistan after the war ended to avoid reprisal attacks by the Taliban. This left women free to raise their families and made it even more important for them to have freedom of movement.
You can grow your beard, or you could lose your job
The Taliban refused to let employees from several government ministries report to work on Sunday because they were not dressed in appropriate Islamic clothing or had their beards trimmed.
Muhajer, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Promotion of Vice and Virtue, confirmed that there was a crackdown on the appearance of government workers and stated that a letter had been sent to all employees a month ago directing men to grow a full facial beard and women to cover their heads with a veil or hijab.
“Employees of Ministry of Promotion of Vice and Virtue Ombudsmen went to certain departments after receiving the order. Muhajer stated that some employees didn’t pay attention and were stopped to advise them.
Muhammad Sheer, a Kabul-based Afghan government official, was one of those who were turned away from his office because he had trimmed his hair.
He told CBS News that the Promotion of Vice and Virtue people had stopped us for a few hours and warned us to bring a long beard or you risk losing your job.
Parks that are sexually segregated
Another draconian order was issued by the Taliban on Sunday: all parks in the country will be separated by sex.
The Taliban ministry of Promotion of Vice and Virtue sent a letter stating that women would be allowed to visit public parks three days a week and men four days a week, which includes unarmed Taliban members.
This order will prohibit couples and families from attending parks together.
Blocking news access
In a Monday statement, the U.S. State Department stated that the Taliban had blocked Afghans from accessing major media outlets which were funded entirely or partially by Western governments.
According to the statement, the U.S. noted with alarm and deep concern that the Taliban was refusing to distribute broadcasts from the Voice of America (USA), the BBC (UK) and Germany’s Deutsche Welle(DW).
These outlets reported that their local broadcasting partners were prevented from airing their programs in the country because of new, restrictive and unpublished guidelines by the Taliban, the State Department stated.
Not fulfilling “essential obligations”
These latest restrictions are a sign that the Taliban is returning to the policies it advocated in the 1990s. These restrictions come less than one week after the country’s rulers left students in tears and made an announcement last minute that Afghanistan’s schools would be closed to girls in Grade 6 and above.
In 2020, the Taliban reached a deal to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan. This would end the longest war in American history and allow the Islamic extremist group to regain power in the country.
Representatives of the Taliban have been traveling to foreign capitals in the hope to be recognized diplomatically since they retook Kabul from the Taliban seven months ago.
The U.S. State Department stated that the Taliban were not fulfilling their essential promises to Afghans and the international community due to their constant crackdown on fundamental freedoms.
Every Afghan citizen has the right to education and freedom of expression. These rights are not Western values nor concessions to international community. They are human rights that are essential to peaceful and prosperous Afghan society. This is what the Taliban claim to want,” the statement stated. We urge the Taliban not to violate the rights of Afghans and continue to support the Afghan people.
