Taliban issues edict about face coverings

May 9, 2022
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This is about the Taliban wanting to make us invisible.

An Afghan woman, Shabana, speaking with the Associated Press on a new Taliban decree concerning women’s coverings in public.
  • Why It Matters: The new Taliban decree says that women should cover their faces in public, and also said women shouldn’t leave their homes unless necessary; this reflects a return to what the Taliban have previously mandated according to their strict interpretation of Islamic rules.
  • This follows a decision by the Taliban to forbid girls from going to school after the 6th grade.
  • Context: Traditional Muslim dress would include a woman having her head covered in a hijab — a scarf that wraps around her head and often neck/shoulders, but doesn’t cover the whole face. During previous Taliban rule, women were required to wear the burqa; this covers the whole body, including the eyes (which are behind netting).

Rules for Women’s Covering Sparks Reactions (Tolo News)

Taliban divisions deepen as Afghan women defy veil edict (Associated Press)

by Jenna Lee,

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