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| Since taking power in August, the Taliban have imposed various restrictions on women and girls, despite pledging a softer rule than their first stint in force in the 1990s. A Taliban fighter walks past a beauty salon with images of women defaced using spray paint in Shar-e-Naw in Kabul on August 18, 2021. (Photo by=AFP/Wakil KOHSAR) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] KABUL: Afghanistan's Taliban authorities said on Sunday (Dec 26) that women seeking to travel anything other than short distances should not be offered transport unless accompanied by a close male relative. AFP reported that the guidance, issued by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, also called on all vehicle owners to offer rides only to those women wearing Islamic hijabs.
"Women traveling for more than 45 miles (72km) should not be offered a ride if a close family member does not accompany them," ministry spokesman Sadeq Akif Muhajir told AFP on Sunday, specifying that it must be a close male relative. The guidance, circulated on social media networks, comes weeks after the Ministry asked Afghanistan's television channels to stop showing dramas and soap operas featuring women actors. The Ministry had also called on women TV journalists to wear hijabs while presenting.
Muhajir said on Sunday that the hijab would also be required for women seeking transport. The Ministry's directive also asked people to stop playing music in their vehicles. The Taliban's interpretation of the hijab - which can range from a hair covering to a face veil or full-body covering - is unclear, and most Afghan women already wear headscarves.
