The Taliban have directed female students in health institutions in Badakhshan to wear all-covering black Arabic hijabs and gloves instead of burqas, according to a statement from the Taliban’s vice and virtue department on Monday.
This directive has sparked reactions and concerns among students.
Masooma*, a student at the Ghazanfari Health Institute in Badakhshan, said, “Saturday is the deadline to comply with the directive. They have only given us four days to ensure all students adhere to this rule.”
“This will be the final word from the Taliban’s Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. They stated that if we return without the proper hijab, they will close this place,” she added.
The statement also instructed all male students to wear traditional clothing and grow beards.
Previously, the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice released an audio recording on Saturday, October 27, featuring remarks by Minister Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, declaring that Afghan women are prohibited from speaking to one another, even during prayer.
According to Hanafi, women are not permitted to recite phrases of remembrance, such as “Alhamdulillah” or “Subhanallah,” aloud during prayer.
The minister further stated, “Women are not allowed to call the adhan (call to prayer) or say the takbir (proclamation of God’s greatness) out loud, let alone sing or raise their voices in any form of song.”
Note*: Name have been changed due to security reasons.
