By: Rukhshana Media
Mawlawi Ghousuddin Hanafi, the Taliban’s deputy director of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Bamyan province, asked the restaurateurs and hotel owners to help the Taliban identify women who do not wear proper hijab.
Speaking in a meeting with restaurateurs on Thursday, June 9, he said women “shouldn’t reveal” their faces to strange men, and that the best hijab is burqa, a head-to-toe covering.
Referring back to the history when Islam first emerged 14 century ago, Hanafi said the Taliban have adopted a “moderate” policy when it comes to women’s hijab comparing to what it looked like during the reign of Omar, the second Islam caliph, who ruled from 634 A.D. to 644.
“Hazrat Omar, the second Muslim caliph, says the best hijab for a woman is her husband’s house or grave,” Hanifi said. “Therefore, staying home is the best way to observe hijab.”
Men are responsible to provide for the family, he added, that is the reason women don’t have to leave home for work.
He said older women and teenage girls do not have to wear burqas, but they should “immediately” hide their faces when they see strange men.
The remarks come after the Taliban imposed numerous nationwide restrictions on women including compulsory hijab.