In the four days since the Taliban began implementing its new morality law, largely targeting women, it has already violated two key provisions of the law. Despite the strict enforcement of the law on the general populace, the Taliban’s own officials have been seen flouting its rules.
Articles 17 and 22 of the new law, which prohibit the broadcasting of images and videos of living beings, have been widely ignored by Taliban officials, institutions, and media under their control. Despite the law granting the so-called “morality employees” of the Taliban’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue the authority to punish and imprison violators, no action has been taken against these officials.
Reports indicate that while many aspects of the law had already been enforced, particularly on women, even before its official ratification, the Taliban leadership has not applied the same standards to themselves. This inconsistency has raised questions about whether the law is truly meant to govern the Taliban’s own conduct or is solely intended to control the general public.
For instance, on Saturday, the Taliban’s central office published photos of Abdul Kabir, the group’s political deputy, in direct violation of Article 17. The Ministry of Justice, which is responsible for enforcing the law, also published images of its acting minister, Abdul Hakim Sharei. Numerous Taliban-affiliated social media accounts have similarly ignored the prohibitions outlined in Articles 17 and 22, yet no Taliban member has faced repercussions.
Even Taliban-run media, such as RTA, have continued to publish videos and photos of living beings, including images of Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s Minister of Vice and Virtue, who is himself responsible for enforcing the new law. On Sunday, senior Taliban officials, including Minister of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadim, appeared in front of cameras for the media, further violating the law.
While the Taliban appears lenient toward its own members, the law’s most oppressive provisions, particularly those targeting women, have been rigorously enforced. These include restrictions on women’s movement, dress, and even their voices in public spaces. The law also imposes bans on beards, hairstyles, music, and other aspects of daily life, giving the Taliban’s Vice and Virtue Ministry unprecedented authority to take executive and judicial action.
Women’s rights activists have expressed outrage at the new law. “The Taliban are seeking to remove women from society. The only step left is to lock the doors so that women can no longer leave their homes,” said Fawzia Wahdat, a prominent women’s rights activist. “All of the basic rights and privileges of women have been taken away, and now, due to the restrictions, we cannot even leave our homes.”
The Taliban’s new law has faced widespread condemnation both domestically and internationally. In Islamabad, a group of Afghan women tore up copies of the law in protest, denouncing it as a return to the Taliban’s oppressive regime of the 1990s. “This law destroys the fundamental rights and freedoms of Afghan women and even silences the voices of women in domestic prisons,” said one female protestor.
In response to the international outcry, the Taliban’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue released a statement from Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, defending the new restrictions. “Based on the holy Quran, Hadith, and Hanafi Fiqh, it has been clarified what the honor of hijab is, why gambling is prohibited, why shaving beards is forbidden, and why we should wear Islamic clothing,” Hanafi stated.
However, some religious scholars have criticized the law as being contrary to the religious and cultural beliefs of Afghanistan, describing it as an imposition of foreign values on the Afghan people. The law, which restricts women’s voices and images, mandates specific dress codes, and bans various aspects of cultural and social life, has significantly expanded the power of the Taliban’s morality police, raising concerns about the future of personal freedoms in Afghanistan.
