HERAT CITY (SW) – Officials at the Herat Hajj and Religious Affairs Department have said a three-member moral policing unit has begun functioning here.
Abdul Khaliq Haqqani, head of the department, told Salam Watandar that the group was present in the past as well, but was simply not active. According to him, this groups would monitor and regulate the entire of Herat city and act against ‘violators’ with the support of police.
According to him, a number of media outlets in the country, contrary to the teachings of Islam, broadcast to mislead the youth.
He also complained against women and girls referring to male doctors, saying that women should not go to male doctors for ultrasound tests. The head of Hajj and Religious Affairs department said the moral police unit has its jurisdictions clearly defined and it does not infringe upon personal liberties of individuals.
Meanwhile, many locals have raised concerns over the establishment of this new moral policing unit.
Herat residents said that this is a pretext for the return of the Taliban and would only promote fundamentalism.
Arya Roufian, Herat's director for information and culture, said it was his department's responsibility to monitor and regulate media publications, and that no one had the right to force the media to be censored.
ENDS
