The obscurantism is returning to the Taliban-occupied areas of Afghanistan – the World

A few days after taking over an isolated district in Tahar province, northern Afghanistan, the Taliban announced in a letter to the local imam new rules that come into force: mandatory beards for men and supervision of women.

The message “says that women cannot go to the market unaccompanied by men and that men should not shave their beards,” Sefatula, a 25-year-old resident of Calafgan County, who recently fell into rebel hands, told AFP. .

Smoking has also been banned, with the Taliban warning that they will “take seriously” anyone who violates these rules, he said. Since foreign forces began their final withdrawal in early May, which is expected to be completed by the end of August, the Taliban has taken control of large agricultural areas in Afghanistan and key border crossings with Iran, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.

In particular, they took over some of the northern regions of the country, such as Tahar province, which they had not controlled even when they ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, and whose inhabitants had not experienced the ultra-radical interpretation of sharia imposed by the Taliban. The first important border crossing captured by the rebels in June was Shir Khan Bandar, on the border with Tajikistan, a key point for economic ties with Central Asia. “After the fall of Shir Khan Bandar, the Taliban ordered women not to leave their homes,” recalls Sajeda, 24, who works in a factory in the city.

“Many women and young girls work in making embroidery, such as seamstresses or making shoes … The rules imposed by the Taliban scare us,” she told AFP by telephone.

Vices and virtues

When they came to power before being overthrown in late 2001 by a US-led international coalition, the Taliban imposed a particularly strict version of Islamic law of their own. Games, music, photography and television were banned. The Taliban cut off the hands of thieves, publicly executed the killers and killed homosexuals.

Women were forbidden to go out unaccompanied by men and work, and girls were forbidden to go to school. Women accused of crimes such as adultery were beaten to death with whips and stones. The men had to grow long beards, attend prayers under threat of beating, and wear only traditional clothing.

This week, a statement attributed to the Taliban and circulated on social media ordered villagers to marry their daughters and widows to fighters. This text evoked memories of the ministry’s decrees promoting virtues and punishing the vices that contributed to the reign of terror during their rule. The Taliban, who want to build a more moderate image as they expand their conquests and approach a possible new takeover, have denied publishing the communiqué and described it as propaganda.

“Islamic values”

“This is an unfounded accusation,” said the group’s spokesman Zabiula Mujahid, adding: “These are rumors spread through false documents.”

However, residents of recently Taliban-held areas have confirmed that the rebels appear to be returning to their old methods. In Javan, a province in Badakhshan, another province the Taliban had never controlled before, the rebels gathered the local population at the mosque as soon as they arrived and immediately imposed some strict rules. “Everyone should wear a turban and no one should shave,” Nazir Mohammad, 32, told AFP, adding: “Girls who have finished sixth grade (aged 11-12) are not allowed to continue going to school. “

The Taliban have repeatedly promised that if they return to power, they will respect human rights, in particular women’s rights, in accordance with “Islamic values”. In the Muslim world, however, there are different ways of interpreting this matter. Some parts of the country remain highly traditionalist, even without being conquered by the Taliban.

Sajdah herself chose not to wait to learn more about the real intentions of the Taliban. A few days after their arrival, she fled Kunduz, a large city in northeastern Afghanistan. “We will never be able to work in these places under the control of the Taliban again. That is why we are leaving here,” she said. / BTA

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