Afghanistan’s new Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, a codification of the existing rules, marks a continuation of the increasing miseries of the Afghan people.

Yet, the legislation hardly comes as a surprise. Immediately after taking over in 2021, the Afghan Taliban had announced that they would rule the country according to their version of Shariah. And it is well-known how retrogressive the Taliban’s interpretation of the Shariah, on either side of the border, is. Those who believed the Afghan Taliban would learn from the past and tone down their approach lived in a fools’ paradise.

The salient features of the new law, which comprises 35 articles, are: The Ministry for Prevention of Vice and Propagation of Virtue shall promote ‘good’ and forbid ‘evil.’ Men and women have different codes of permissible conduct or lifestyle. Men shall offer the obligatory prayers, keep fasts, and grow beards.

Women shall cover their bodies and faces. They aren’t supposed to commute unless accompanied by a male guardian. Nor shall they sing, recite poetry or speak loud in public. The media shall not broadcast or print images of living beings or carry content that violates the Shariah or insults Muslims.

The penalties for violation range from advice, warning and confiscation of property to detention and ‘any other punishment deemed appropriate’. The fate of the people who remain undeterred notwithstanding these penalties will be decided by the courts, which means, they should be ready to receive harsher sentences. For sure, the Ministry for Prevention of Vice and Propagation of Virtue will become the busiest arm of the Taliban regime.

Ever since they took over Kabul three years ago, the Taliban have been enforcing their brand of Shariah, like they did during their earlier stint in power (1996-2001), as the foremost matter of state........

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