The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice of the Taliban has banned this Saturday travel without a veil and without a male companion in case of long journeys to women in Kabul, in a series of regulations that also prevent taxi drivers from playing music.
The new regulations call on taxi drivers to “not allow women to travel without a veil” or “not to admit women in the vehicle without a male companion. if they are going to travel more than 70 kilometers away “.
The all-powerful Vice Ministry of the fundamentalists also decreed that “music is prohibited in vehicles”, a restriction that is already imposed in the case of weddings and other celebrations.
Taxi drivers must stop their vehicles at prayer time and “pray collectively“with the companions, according to a statement, in which it is indicated that the vice patrols “they will recommend having a beard”.
A representative of the Taliban, the Vice Ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq Akif, told Efe that these are recommendations “And it does not mean that if they do not comply they will be punished.”
Taxi drivers fear losses
The orders have been greeted with resignation by taxi drivers, who fear seeing their income fall further in the context of a serious economic and humanitarian crisis, accentuated by the capture of Afghanistan by the Taliban on August 15.
“This means that they will frequently check our cars, creating complications for our drivers, and on the other hand, women will not travel by taxi (…) affecting even more our work, which has been immensely affected by recent changes and the economic crisis, “the taxi driver Akbar Shah.
A woman, who requested anonymity, has lamented to Efe that the new regulations will further complicate the daily life of Afghans under the Taliban regime. “We will have to pay an extra ticket for the companion, And if a woman doesn’t have one, what does she do?“, he denounced.
Despite their promises of change, the Taliban they have banned secondary and higher education for women, presumably until the ideal conditions are met for them to return to classes, and have limited the return of women to certain jobs.
Also this week, the Taliban began to delete images of women that often decorate the windows of Kabul beauty salons as they are considered contrary to Islam. These restrictions on the rights of Afghan women have sparked both protests in the country and international condemnation.
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
