According to a spokesman for a key ministry of Afghanistan’s Taliban government, women lose value when men are able to see their uncovered faces in public. The spokesman, Molvi Mohammad Sadiq Akif, stated that religious scholars in the country support the idea of women keeping their faces covered when outside the home. The Taliban, who assumed power in August 2021, have banned women from most public spaces, including parks, jobs, and universities, citing their failure to properly wear the hijab, or Islamic headscarf, as the reason. Akif explained that the visibility of women’s faces in public spaces could lead to “falling into sin” or “fitna.”
Akif expressed his views on women without the hijab, saying, “It is very bad to see women [without the hijab] in some areas [big cities], and our scholars also agree that women’s faces should be hidden. It’s not that her face will be harmed or damaged. A woman has her own value, and that value decreases by men looking at her. Allah gives respect to females in hijab and there is value in this.” The Taliban’s restrictions on girls and women have sparked global outrage, including criticism from some Muslim-majority countries. UN special envoy Gordon Brown recently urged the International Criminal Court to prosecute Taliban leaders for their crimes against Afghan girls and women, specifically in denying them education and employment opportunities. Akif did not address questions regarding potential lifts on these bans if there was universal adherence to hijab rules.
Akif claimed that the ministry’s measures have received support from the people, stating, “People wanted to implement Shariah [Islamic law] here. Now we’re carrying out the implementation of Shariah.” He also mentioned that under the current Taliban administration, men no longer harass or stare at women like they did before. However, Tim Winter, an Islamic studies expert from Cambridge University, argued that there is no scriptural mandate in Islam for face coverings. He suggested that the Taliban would struggle to find any Islamic scriptures supporting their interpretation of hijab rules. Winter also highlighted that the term “Taliban” means “students,” indicating that they aren’t necessarily senior religious experts. He further noted that the Taliban rely on textbooks used in village religious schools and that Muslim scholars who have been to Afghanistan during both periods of Taliban rule have not been impressed by their religious knowledge.
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