Taliban orders all Afghan women to cover their faces in public

On Saturday, the Taliban ordered all Afghan women to cover their faces in public, based on a decree from the group’s supreme leader.

The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice issued a decree from Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s supreme leader, stating that if a woman did not cover her face in public, her father or closest male relative would be visited, interrogated, and eventually imprisoned.

The ruling states that the homes of women who do not cover their faces should be identified first, then the women’s guardian should be warned. In case of repeated disobedience, the woman’s guardian must be imprisoned.

According to the Taliban, the ideal face covering is the all-encompassing blue Burqa which covers women’s whole body including the face.

The ministry has also commissioned eight members of the Taliban to convey the importance and benefits of the hijab to women through the media and other platforms.

Since the Taliban took control of the country, all Afghans, especially women have been suffering. Women have lost all their basic rights, including the right to education, employment, and even the right to choose their very own outfits.