A group of women in Kabul took to the streets, saying they were protesting against new restrictions imposed on women by the Ministry of Virtue and Vice.

In response to the ministry’s installation of posters in Kabul, the women said that burqas are not part of Afghan cultural identity and calling for them only preserves the culture of foreigners in Afghanistan.

“Today I want to say that the burqa is not our hijab, it is the hijab that has been imposed on us by Britain and India. I am a woman and I am mahram to myself,” said Shabana Shabdiz, a protester. Mahram refers to a male escort of a woman when she leaves the house.

“In this march, we ask for our rights to education and employment from the current rulers,” said Shahla Arifi, a protester.

Meanwhile, these women urged the world not to remain silent about women’s rights in Afghanistan.

Recently, the Ministry of Virtue and Vice installed posters in some parts of Kabul emphasizing the preservation of the Islamic hijab for women.

Officials of the Ministry say the installation of posters by this ministry is in the interest of reforming the society.

“Hijab is the order of God, the prophet and the Islamic Sharia. We do not force anyone or impose the hijab on them in a threatening way,” said Mohammad Saddiq Akef, spokesman for the Ministry of Virtue and Vice.

These protests come as women still do not have full access to the right to work or go to school in Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate has said it is working on a plan that will allow all women's rights in the country to be restored within the framework of Islamic regulation.