“It’s illogical”: Morality ministry breaks silence, says Afghan women not barred from speaking to each other

Afghanistan’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV) has reacted to reports making the rounds that the Taliban government is on the verge of restricting women from talking to themselves, saying such claims are “brainless” and “illogical.”

Recall that Afghan media operating outside Afghanistan and international outlets have reported that women may be barred from hearing each other’s voices based on an audio recording of Mohammad Khalid Hanafi.

Reacting to the allegation, PVPV spokesman Saiful Islam Khyber dismissed the reports as irrational in a statement confirmed by AFP.

He explained that: “A woman can talk to another woman, women need to interact with one another in society, women do have their needs.”

In a recorded statement, Khyber explained, “A woman can talk to another woman, women need to interact with one another in society, women do have their needs.”

He further clarified that while women can communicate in everyday situations, there are religious exceptions, such as during prayer, where hand gestures might be preferred over speaking aloud, as suggested by Hanafi.

The denials come amid growing concern about the expanding restrictions on women’s rights under the Taliban. A recently introduced “vice and virtue” law has banned women from singing or publicly reciting poetry, emphasizing that their voices, like their bodies, should be “concealed” when outside their homes.

Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban has imposed sweeping restrictions on Afghan reforms, including barring girls from secondary school education.

The actions have sparked widespread criticism from the international community, with the United Nations labeling the measures as “gender apartheid.”