In yet another oppressive decree, the Taliban now forbids Afghan women from praying aloud, even among themselves, claiming a woman’s voice is “awrah” — something that must be hidden. This restriction, issued by Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, Taliban minister for the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice, intensifies their relentless efforts to erase Afghan women’s voices from public life entirely.
Since their return to power in 2021, the Taliban have systematically dismantled Afghan women’s freedoms — from denying education to enforcing full-body/face coverings. This new decree further isolates women, silencing not only their physical presence but now their voices, limiting the most basic form of expression. Afghan women are left increasingly invisible, denied the right to pray, speak, or even exist freely, marking a devastating erosion of their rights and presence in society.
