Afghanistan’s Vice and Virtue Ministry spokeswoman claims that the Taliban wants to use security personnel to bar women from entering a central national park.
According to the government, women who travel to Band-e-Amir in central Bamiyan province have not appropriately worn the hijab or Islamic headscarf.
Due to worries regarding hijab adherence and gender segregation, the Taliban-led government restricted women’s access to public venues, including parks, in November.
Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the minister in charge of Islamic affairs, recently visited the province and notified authorities and religious clergy that women there were not wearing the hijab correctly. He had the security forces keep the attraction’s female visitors away.
Hanafi noted at the time that sightseeing was not a must for women.
Since taking power on August 15, 2021, following the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO soldiers, they have imposed some restrictions on Afghan women and girls. Women in Afghanistan are not allowed to hold public office or work for municipal or non-governmental organizations, and the education of females is cut off at the sixth grade. They have also implemented severe restrictions on the news media.
The severe restrictions drew widespread condemnation worldwide, particularly in Muslim-majority nations.
Hanafi’s oppressive command was carried out with the help of security officers, religious leaders, and senior citizens. A tape of the minister’s address at Bamiyan was posted on social media, consistent with Akif’s findings.
According to Human Rights Watch’s associate women’s rights director Heather Barr, the Taliban aren’t satisfied with depriving girls and women of education, employment, and freedom of movement; they also want to take from them parks and sports “and now even nature,” as evidenced by the recent ban on women visiting Band-e-Amir. Women are slowly becoming prisoners in their own homes.
Band-e-Amir is one of the most visited sites in all of Bamiyan. In 2009, it was designated as the first national park in the country.
The local tourism, restaurant, hotel, and artisan industries rely heavily on this influx of visitors.
