KABUL (SW) – The Ministry of Justice under the Islamic Emirate government has announced that the “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law has been ratified into effect and published in the official gazette. The law includes a preamble, 4 chapters and 35 articles.
According to this law, it is mandatory for women to cover their entire bodies, including their faces, to prevent “sedition” in society, and women’s voices are considered “awrah” (intimate or private parts).
In response, several female entrepreneurs have expressed their concerns about the prohibition on women’s voices being heard in public. They fear losing their businesses due to these restrictions.
A female entrepreneur named Arefa said, “We were worried before, and we remain worried. Every day a new policy is introduced, causing concern, especially for women. We are currently working, contributing to family growth and the economy. This is significant work, and we fear losing it.”
Another entrepreneur, Manizha Niazi, also expressed concerns: “It is challenging for us to face these restrictions. Women have the right to have their rights ensured. We hope these restrictions do not increase.”
Article 17 of the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice law stipulates that a moral enforcer must ensure that “media outlets do not broadcast content that contradicts religious and Sharia principles, insults or belittles Muslims, or includes images of living beings”.
The law also categorizes several activities as “specific vices,” including celebrating Nowruz, Yalda Night, fireworks, shaving or trimming beards, wearing ties, viewing images or videos of living beings on computers and mobile phones, and women’s voices being heard outside their homes.
Legal and political expert Abdul Shakur Dadras said that hearing or raising a woman’s voice by a non-mahram (a person who is not closely related) does not pose a legal issue when necessary. He argues: “placing excessive restrictions on women could lead to significant problems and that restricting necessary expressions could harm women’s spiritual integrity.”
The law also outlines a process for enforcing compliance: an individual who refuses to adhere to the law will first receive a recommendation, and then be warned of divine punishment, followed by verbal reprimand, and finally, the enforcement of punishments deemed necessary by the moral enforcer if no other recourse is available.
Abdul Ghafar Farooqi, the head of the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (MoPVPV), told Salam Watandar that this law would greatly aid in the establishment of virtues and the prevention of vices. He added that before the law is implemented, seminars will be held by the Directorate of Training and Education for moral enforcers to provide guidance on how to enforce the law properly.
“This Sharia law has been sent to the provincial offices of the ministry, and all employees will carry out their duties accordingly. The Directorate of Training and Education will conduct seminars to better explain and guide the implementation of this law,” he said.
Additionally, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, acting head of the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, declared in a meeting in Balkh that there will be no compromise in the enforcement of Islamic laws. According to Hanafi, Sharia and hijab are the “red lines” of the Islamic Emirate regime.
