Taliban chief and Afghanistan’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has issued a decree making an all-covering burqa mandatory for women in Afghanistan. The decree by Akhundzada was released by Taliban authorities at a function in Kabul.
“They should wear a chador (head-to-toe burqa) as it is traditional and respectful”, the decree said. This is just the latest step in taking away women’s rights ever since the Taliban came back to power in Afghanistan in August last year.
Taliban 2.0, just like Taliban 1.0
Even though the Taliban had tried to pretend that they will be more progressive in their new avatar, they quickly gave up all pretense and began cracking down on the female population in the country. Many commentators were trying to push the theory that this new Taliban will be more moderate and respect women’s rights, however, the Taliban has returned to its strict policies from the 90s stripping away the rights of the local population.
From cracking down on girls’ education in the country, to stopping women from flying alone, the Taliban has continued to oppress women in the country. The general disdain for the women under the Taliban rule can be seen in all spheres of society.
The latest decree will make the lives of the women even worse in Afghanistan as they will be required to wear the oppressive all-covering chador at all times in public.