Afghanistan: Taliban's Supreme Leader Orders No Windows In Areas Where Women Spend Time, Existing Ones To Be Obstructed

The supreme leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan has issued a directive banning the building of windows in residential properties that offer views into areas where women typically work or spend their time.

The mandate also requires that existing windows with such views be obstructed, as relayed in a late Saturday statement by Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban government, as cited by Dawn News.

Mujahid posted on social media platform X, "Seeing women working in kitchens, courtyards, or collecting water from wells can lead to obscene acts," and specified that new buildings should avoid windows allowing visibility into "the courtyard, kitchen, neighbour’s well, and other places usually used by women."

The responsibility of ensuring adherence to rules at construction sites has been delegated to local municipal authorities and various other departments.

Additionally, the directive advises property owners to construct walls or employ other methods to block views from existing windows, in an effort to mitigate any inconveniences caused to their neighbours.

Following the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, there has been a rise in constraints imposed on women, leading to condemnation from the United Nations. The global organisation has described the circumstances as a "gender apartheid".

The Taliban has imposed prohibitions on girls and women, barring them from pursuing education beyond primary level, limiting their work opportunities, and excluding them from public spaces such as parks.

A newly enacted legislation has further curtailed their freedoms, prohibiting them from singing or reciting poetry publicly and advising them to keep their voices and bodies under cover when they step out of their homes.

Certain local news sources have completely ceased broadcasting women's voices. However, the Taliban insists that Islamic law "guarantees" the rights of both genders, despite these actions.