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Taliban’s morality police. File photo.
Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s leader, has once again called for the strict enforcement of their controversial Law of Vice and Virtue, or the morality law, across the country.
Sources in Kandahar reported that Akhundzada delivered a nearly two-hour speech during an ideological seminar for civilian and military officials at the Kandahar Police Training Center. In his remarks, he emphasized the importance of implementing the law in its entirety, stating, “Islamic values, particularly the law of promoting vice and virtue, must be fully implemented in society.”
The Taliban leader first approved the law in August 2022. The 114-page document, comprising 35 articles, imposes sweeping restrictions on Afghan society, particularly targeting women and personal freedoms. It grants extensive powers to religious enforcers, known as muhtasibs or Taliban moral police, who are tasked with overseeing compliance.
Among the law’s most controversial provisions is the classification of a woman’s voice as awrah—a source of temptation—prohibiting it from being heard in public. It also mandates that women cover their faces and bodies entirely. The decree explicitly states that it will be enforced in accordance with Sharia law and the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence.
The international community has widely condemned the law, with organizations such as the United Nations, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch criticizing it for violating fundamental human rights. These groups have also raised concerns about the Taliban’s broader restrictions on women, including bans on education and employment.
The law has drawn harsh criticism for its role in further isolating Afghan women and for curbing freedoms in a nation already grappling with significant humanitarian and political challenges.
