Afghan women post videos of themselves singing to protest the Taliban’s restrictive laws

Afghan women have launched an online protest by uploading videos of themselves singing in defiance of the Taliban’s latest draconian laws. The new restrictions, imposed on August 27, 2024, require women to remain silent in public and hide their faces and bodies, further removing their basic freedoms.

Women from both Afghanistan and abroad challenge these norms by singing about their struggle for freedom.

In one video, a woman sings with her face and body fully covered, lamenting the restrictions imposed by the Taliban, who have silenced women and confined them to their homes.

The lyrics of these songs refer to the harsh reality facing Afghan women since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, including bans on education and public speaking.

The movement has gained traction across South Asia and Europe, with women using their voices to resist the oppressive Taliban regime.

The Taliban’s new vice and virtue laws also prohibit women from singing or speaking loudly in public, and even inside their homes, their voices must not be heard outside.

Despite these restrictions, Afghan women are determined to make their voices heard.

Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, condemned the new laws, calling them a “painful vision” for Afghanistan’s future. Women’s rights activists, including Dr Zahra Haqparast, have called for international sanctions against the Taliban, calling on the global community not to negotiate with them.

Haqparast, who was once a dentist in Afghanistan, lost her job after the Taliban returned to power and was later imprisoned and tortured for protesting. She is now leading the campaign against the new laws, vowing to raise her voice until the oppressive Taliban regime is silenced.

Women in Afghanistan continue to fight for their rights, with some organizing protests despite the dangers. A former university lecturer in Herat said the Taliban cannot silence them as they are “half of this society” and wield enormous power.

In response to the global outcry, the Taliban’s minister of virtue and vice, Khaled Hanafi, insisted that the international community had no authority to comment on Afghanistan, arguing that the Taliban would cooperate with other nations only within the framework of Islamic law.