Following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, escalating restrictions on women have now extended into cultural and social spaces. One of the latest actions in Herat is the closure of women-only cafes.
Local sources report that Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has warned the owners of these cafes that their establishments will soon be shut down for “violating Taliban directives.”
According to the Taliban, the primary reasons for this decision are women smoking and the playing of music in these cafes, which the group claims contradict their interpretation of Islamic principles. Sources indicate that this move is part of a systematic effort by the Taliban to limit public spaces for women and suppress their individual freedoms.
Earlier, the Taliban had already ordered the closure of women’s beauty salons across the country, and this latest action demonstrates a continuation of their “anti-women policies.”
Women used these cafes as spaces for socializing and relaxation, but they now face the threat of closure. This not only infringes on individual freedoms but also seriously jeopardizes human rights and gender equality in Afghanistan.
Observers believe that under Taliban rule, Afghanistan has become a highly restrictive environment for women, necessitating an urgent response from the international community to ensure that conditions for women and individual freedoms in the country improve as soon as possible.
