An Afghan woman wearing a burqa walks past a graffiti painted wall in Herat, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, May 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Reza Shirmohammadi) | Photo Credit: Reza Shirmohammadi
The Taliban government’s Ministry of Morality said it would not cooperate with the Taliban. United Nations Mission in AfghanistanThis was called the “opposing side.”
The announcement comes after the United Nations Mission (UNAMA) warned that a new ethics law — Women need to be fully covered and will not raise their voices – this will harm their chances of engagement with the international community.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Virtue Propaganda and Evil Prevention (PVPV) said that “due to its continued propaganda, PVPV will not provide any support or cooperation to UNAMA, which will be considered an opposing party”.
“We ask that international organisations, countries and individuals who have criticised the said law respect the religious values of Muslims and refrain from such criticisms and statements that insult Islamic values and sanctities,” the ministry said in a statement posted on social media on Thursday.
Last week, Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, was barred from entering the country after he released a statement alongside other UN experts urging the international community “not to normalise the de facto authorities or their appalling human rights violations”.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban government, told local media Tolo News that Mr Bennett was “appointed to spread propaganda in Afghanistan and is not someone we can trust.”
Taliban officials, who have not yet been formally recognised by any country, are still pressing to fill Afghanistan’s seat at the United Nations, held by a former official of the ousted foreign-backed government.
Punishment
The Taliban government’s 35-article morality law was published in the official gazette on July 31.
It imposes sweeping regulations on men’s clothing and prayer participation, as well as bans on the possession of images of living creatures, homosexuality, animal fighting, playing music in public places and non-Muslim holidays.
The law provides for a graded set of punishments, ranging from verbal warnings to threats, fines and detention of varying periods.
Roza Otunbayeva, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, described the law as “a disturbing vision for the future of Afghanistan”, where ethics inspectors have discretionary powers to threaten and detain anyone based on a broad and sometimes vague list of violations.
The United Nations and the European Union have warned that the law could harm prospects for engagement with the international community.
UNAMA is mandated by the UN Security Council to engage with Taliban authorities, including the PVPV, with whom it has directly raised concerns over ethical oversight policy and enforcement practices.
In a report last month, UNAMA said the ministry’s role in enforcing religious law in Afghanistan was growing and accused it of creating a “climate of fear”.
The Ministry of Virtue and Sin enforces a harsh view of Islam that has increasingly dominated Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021.
Morality police squads are empowered to reprimand, arrest and punish citizens who violate the order. These laws have marginalized women, effectively banned music and outlawed other activities considered un-Islamic.
The Taliban government has consistently rejected international criticism of its policies, including restrictions on women which the United Nations has labelled “gender apartheid”.
Chief government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on Monday that the law was “firmly based on Islamic teachings” that must be respected and understood.
“In our view, rejecting these laws without understanding is an expression of arrogance,” he said, adding that criticism of the law by a Muslim “could even lead to the downfall of his faith.”