The Taliban on April 10 barred entry of families and women into restaurants with gardens or green spaces in Herat province, Afghanistan, reported Fox News.
The decision came after religious clerics complained of mixing genders in such places. Afghan officials said that the curbs had been brought in place because of gender mixing or because women allegedly are not wearing the hijab. The official said the ban was restricted only to restaurants with green areas, such as parks, where men and women could meet.
The outdoor dining ban only applies to establishments in Herat, where such premises remain open to men. Baz Mohammad Nazir, a deputy official from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue’s directorate in Herat, denied media reports that all restaurants were off limits to families and women, dismissing them as propaganda, reported Fox News.
Azizurrahman Al Muhajir, who is head of the Vice and Virtue directorate in Herat, said, “It was like a park but they named it a restaurant and men and women were together. Thank God it has been corrected now. Also, our auditors are observing all the parks where men and women go.”
Baz Mohammad Nazir also denied reports that sales of DVDs of foreign films, TV shows and music are banned in the province, saying that business owners were advised against selling this material because it contradicted Islamic values.
Shopkeepers who did not follow through on the advice eventually saw their shops closed, Baz Mohammad Nazir added. He also denied local media reports that internet cafes have shut down in Herat, but said that gaming arcades were now off-limits to children because of unsuitable content.
Since the Taliban took over in 2021, they have imposed several draconian and obtuse decisions which have undermined women’s rights. They have shut girls out of classrooms beyond the sixth grade and women from universities.
The Taliban promised to reopen all schools on March 23 this year, but instead, they closed secondary institutions for girls on that day. There is still no word on when or if these schools will reopen or if the ban is indefinite. Most types of employment, including jobs at the United Nations. They are also banned from public spaces such as parks and gyms.
The United Nations said that 3,300 male and female employees of the organisation have stayed at home since women were banned from working at UN agencies.
In short, under Taliban rule, women’s condition has severely deteriorated. Afghanistan has once again regressed under the reign of orthodox and dogmatic fanatics.
