Taliban in Afghanistan:
Women banned from traveling alone and playing music in cars hours ago
Afghan women
, Image source GETTY IMAGES
Taliban officials in Afghanistan have said that women traveling long distances in the country will no longer be allowed to travel alone, and that such travel would require them to have a close male relative with them.
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Taliban officials say women who want to travel long distances alone will not have access to transportation.
The directives were issued by the Taliban's Ministry of Ethics and Prevention of Evil.
Ministry spokeswoman Sadiq Akif Mohajer told AFP that women who had to travel more than 72 kilometers (or 45 miles) would no longer be allowed to travel without a male relative. In addition, car owners have been asked not to allow any woman without hijab to sit in their cars.
However, human rights activists oppose the Afghan Taliban's decision. His position is that the Taliban's interpretation of the hijab is not yet clear.
Human rights activists say the interpretation of the hijab can vary from covering the hair of the head to covering the face or the whole body.
He also said that since most Afghan women already wear scarves on their heads, there was no need for these instructions.
Music bans on cars
In addition to banning women from traveling alone, Taliban officials have made important decisions regarding music and television series in the country.
"People should not play music in their cars from now on," he said. Earlier, the Taliban had instructed TV channels to stop showing serials and dramas featuring women on their channels. At the same time, women TV journalists associated with the news were told that they could not present programs on TV without hijab.
It should be noted that after the capture of Kabul on August 15 this year, the Taliban had said that they would not adopt strict policies towards women this time like their first government.
Also read "Taliban did not keep their promises"
Ethirajan Ambrasan, the BBC World Service's editor for South Asian affairs, has been closely watching the Taliban's activities since the Taliban's recapture of Afghanistan.
He says since coming to power in Afghanistan in mid-August, Taliban authorities have been gradually increasing restrictions on women.
Girls' secondary schools are still closed in most provinces since the fall of the former Afghan government. About a month after the Taliban took over the country, girls were allowed to study under certain conditions. They were instructed to arrange separate seating for girls and boys in the classroom. Although local Taliban officials have agreed to reopen girls' secondary schools in several Afghan provinces, there are still many girls out of school.
AreAfghanistan's financial situation has deteriorated due to the suspension of financial aid by Western countries after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. According to several media reports, Afghanistan could soon be plunged into severe famine and poverty and a humanitarian crisis could erupt there.
To avoid famine and poverty, the Taliban called on the world's most powerful nations to at least lift the ban on their frozen bank accounts. In addition, several organizations have called on the world to help Afghanistan.
According to Athirajan, donor countries have told the Taliban that they will only be able to receive financial support if they respect women's rights.
In view of this situation, in early December, the Taliban issued an official decree in the name of its supreme leader, instructing them to implement women's rights. However, nowhere in these instructions was the education of girls mentioned.
"The United States should not interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs," said Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister for political affairs. Making decisions
"US troops left Afghanistan in the dark of night," he told a news conference on Sunday.
"Afghanistan is now free and for the first time in four decades, Afghans have been making their own decisions independently for the past four months," Stanekzai said.
"Enemies should not think that Afghanistan has been weakened by 40 years of war because we have the capability to fight for another 40 years if need be," he said.
The Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister also acknowledged that hundreds of Afghans leave the country every day due to economic problems and most of them fail to cross the border or lose their lives on the way.
He called on neighboring countries to open their borders and relax visa rules for Afghan refugees.
On the rights of women, Stanekzai said that Afghan women and girls have the right to jobs and education, but at the same time, he said that the culture of Afghanistan is different from the culture of the West.