The Taliban adopted a new prohibition measure afghan women to pray out loud or recite Koran in the presence of others woman.

This marks another plus to a mounting pile LAWS isolating women’s voices from the public in Afghanistan and religious life.

“It is forbidden for an adult woman to recite Qur’anic verses or recite in front of another adult woman. Even the chanting of takbir (Allahu Akbar) is not allowed,” said Deputy Minister and Virtues of the group Khalid Hanafi.

The rule explicitly prohibits Afghan women from engaging in loud prayers or chanting religious expressions, including takbir (“God is great”) and subhanallah (“glorify God”). Saying similar expressions such as “subhanallah”, another central word of Islamic faithis also prohibited.

Speaking at an event in Logar province, Hanafi added that “there will certainly be no permission to sing”, referring to participating in the traditional call to prayer.

Newsweek reached out to the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice by email on Wednesday for comment.

Severe restrictions on Afghan women

The ministry added that the rule is part of a nationwide awareness campaign to “shape public perception” of what they claim are “divine rulings” on female behavior.

It is the latest in a series of severe restrictions imposed by Taliban rule, where numerous decrees affected almost every aspect of Afghan women’s lives.

These include: dress codes, restrictions on movement without a male guardian and bans on women engagement in most public and private sectors.

Women are also prohibited education beyond the sixth form, which excludes them from universities and confines many to their homes.

Ban on prayer, medical care and mass media

Minister Hanafi’s statements originally appeared on those of the ministry social media platforms, but were later removed, signaling some uncertainty within the administration about their communication on the matter.

Afghan women face some of the world’s most restrictive policies under the Taliban, who returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 after US and nato the forces withdrew from the country.

In addition to banning women from praying in public or in groups, Taliban policies now hinder women health meeting workers with male attendants of female patients. Some provinces have restricted the media from publishing images of the animals, to comply with a phased-in law at the beginning of this month.

During their previous rule in the late 1990s, the Taliban banned most television, radio and newspapers with everything.

Taliban’s descent into ‘gender apartheid’

These policies have attracted significant criticism on the international stage.

The united nations have repeatedly condemned the Taliban’s restrictive practices, with Richard Bennett, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, saying earlier this year that their policies should “shock the conscience of humanity”.

Other key UN officials further characterized the situation in Afghanistan as a form of “gender apartheid”, in recent years, isolating Afghan women and denying them the basics human rights.

“Afghans, especially Afghan women and girls, have shown extraordinary courage and determination in the face of Taliban oppression. The international community must match this with protection and solidarity, including decisive and principled action that places human rights front and center,” Bennett. said.

This article includes reporting from the Associated Press