New Taliban rule prohibits Afghan women from being audible to other women while praying

In a new decree that has further limited their freedom, the Taliban government in Afghanistan recently prohibited women from praying loudly or reciting the Quran in front of other women.

It is the latest restriction on women as per the morality laws in the country that ban women from raising their voices and baring their faces outside the home.

Pertinently, the women in the country are already excluded from education after sixth grade, many public spaces, and most of the jobs.

During an event in eastern Logar province on Oct 27, Vice and Virtue Minister Khalid Hanafi was quoted as saying, “A woman's voice is considered awrah, meaning that which must be covered and shouldn't be heard in public, even by other women,”

“It is prohibited for a grown-up woman to recite Quranic verses or perform recitations in front of another grown-up woman. Even chants of takbir (Allahu Akbar) are not permitted,” he added.

Hanafi said that expressions similar to “Subhanallah,” another word central to the Islamic faith, were also not allowed.

“A woman is not permitted to perform the call to prayer,” he told the gathering, adding, “So, there is certainly no permission for singing.”

Hanafi was also quoted as saying, "Even when an adult female prays and another female passes by, she must not pray loudly enough for them to hear... How could they be allowed to sing if they aren't even permitted to hear each other's voices while praying, let alone for anything else?"

Pertinently, the Taliban have also forbidden female healthcare workers from meeting with their patients' male companions.

Meanwhile, the ministry in a statement on Oct 29 said that a nationwide awareness program about the laws is underway involving ministry officials at provincial and district levels.

“Organising such programs will contribute to shaping public perception and increasing awareness of divine rulings,” the ministry added.

Afghan provinces are already barring the media from showing images of living things, another controversial and widely criticized feature of the morality laws.

The Taliban set up the ministry for the "propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice” after seizing power in 2021.

Notably, the ministry has enforced decrees issued by the Taliban leadership that have a disproportionate impact on women and girls, like dress codes, segregated education and employment, and having a male guardian when they travel.