The Ministry of Justice has announced the enforcement of the law concerning the Ministry of Vice and Virtue after it was ratified by the leader of the Islamic Emirate.
This law consists of four chapters and thirty-five articles addressing various issues. Matters such as women's hijab, men's covering, media regulations, and how the ministry's enforcers should interact with the public are among the most important articles of this law.
Barkatullah Rasooli, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, said regarding this law: "According to this law, the aforementioned ministry is obliged to command the good and forbid the evil in accordance with Islamic Sharia and Hanafi jurisprudence, and is also responsible for ensuring peace and brotherhood among the people while preventing them from engaging in ethnic, linguistic, and regional prejudices."
In Article 13 of this law, which pertains to women's hijab, it is deemed necessary for women to cover their faces due to the fear of causing temptation, and the loud voice of women is also considered a part of their modesty. The law also states that it is prohibited for drivers to transport adult women without a legal male guardian.
The mandatory covering of the entire body of a woman, covering her face due to the fear of causing temptation, the labeling of a woman's loud voice as modesty (which includes loud singing, chanting, and recitation), avoiding wearing thin, short, or tight clothes, and the obligation for women to conceal their bodies and faces from non-mahram men are significant parts of Article 13 of this law.
"We have always been as they wanted, but their restrictions are increasing every day. We hope that they will reconsider," Tafsir Siyahposh, a women’s rights activist told TOLOnews.
Article 22 of this law stipulates that there should be no misuse of typewriters, radios, and other similar objects. In Article 17, it is also mentioned that the content published and broadcasted in the media should not be against Sharia or the religion, nor should it humiliate or insult Muslims, and it should not include images of living beings.
"The opinion of prominent scholars from Saudi Arabia, India, and Pakistan is that video and digital media systems are necessities of the time," Haseebullah Hanafi, a religious scholar, said.
Article 22 also states that wearing a tie, shaving or trimming the beard below a fist's length, grooming hair against Sharia, forming friendships or aiding non-believers, and resembling them are considered prohibitions.