KABUL, Afghanistan — Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s minister for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice, has described international calls for women’s rights as “prohibited deeds,” according to a newly released audio recording of his speech from a gathering in Kabul.
Hanafi said that while the world today demands “rights,” the Taliban fought for 20 years “to implement Sharia and Islam,” and that their members sacrificed their lives for this cause.
“Now the infidel world says ‘rights, rights, rights.’ The rights that Islam has given to our women — if I do not deliver them, it is my sin,” Hanafi told the gathering. “We must not forget that we fought for 20 years for the implementation of Sharia and Islam, and on the Day of Judgment, the martyrs will question us about this.”
Hanafi urged those present to “wake up, stay united, and cooperate to succeed” in their mission.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have severely restricted the rights of Afghan citizens, particularly women. Girls have been banned from attending secondary school and universities, women have been barred from most employment outside of healthcare, and many are prohibited from traveling without a male guardian.
The Taliban’s stance has drawn widespread condemnation from Islamic scholars, religious leaders, and governments across the Muslim world, many of whom argue that the group’s restrictions on women and girls have no basis in Islamic law.
Despite mounting international pressure, the Taliban have shown little willingness to reverse their policies, often attempting to justify their actions through religious arguments.
