Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Afghanistan)
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Ministry overview | |
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Formed | 1996 2021 (current) | (original)
Preceding Ministry | |
Jurisdiction | Government of Afghanistan |
Headquarters | Kabul, Afghanistan |
Minister responsible |
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Ministry executive |
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Website | mopvpe |
Afghanistan portal |
The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (
History
First Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Established in 1996, the vice and virtue ministry received heavy subsidies and training from Saudi Arabia. When the Taliban took over Kabul, the committee announced a ban on sorcery and American-style haircuts.[3] It was closed when the Talibans were ousted, but Fazal Hadi Shinwari, an outspoken advocate of orthodoxy and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan, reinstated it in 2003 and renamed it the Ministry for Haj and Religious Affairs.[4]
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
In 2006, the
According to Human Rights Watch, reinstating the virtue and vice department would have a negative impact on women rights, a major lever of development for the country.[5] Shukria Barakzai, a member of Afghanistan's National Legislature, saw in this draft legislation a reminiscing legacy of the Taliban era.[2] Felice D. Gaer, Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, stated that the US expressed a strong opposition to reinstatement of the ministry of virtue and vice, calling it a violation to religious freedom rights.[6]
Second Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
In the 2021 Islamic Emirate Cabinet declared on 7 September 2021, following the 15 August 2021 fall of Kabul, the ministry was restored, according to The Guardian. The Cabinet itself was restricted to men only.[7] The ministry was installed in the offices of the former Ministry of Women's Affairs, displacing staff of the World Bank's Women's Economic Empowerment and Rural Development Program.[8]
In March 2022, the Islamic Emirate required all men to sport a beard as a condition of government employment.[9]
In May 2022, the ministry published a decree requiring all women in Afghanistan to wear full-body coverings when in public (either a
Name
In the 2000 book Taliban by Ahmed Rashid, the ministry is referred to as the Department of the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. Mohammed Qalamuddin, the head of the ministry during the first Taliban era, preferred the English translation Department of Religious Observances.[16]
Role and actions
The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice of Afghanistan was in charge of implementing Islamic rules (Hanafi principles) as defined by the Taliban. Its religious police raided the streets arresting women not fully covered and people listening to music.[2]
See also
- Enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong (Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice)
- Talibanization
- Islamic religious police
- Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Saudi Arabia)
- Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Gaza Strip)
- Guidance Patrol, Iran's morality police
References
- ^ "Taliban say female Afghan TV presenters must cover faces on air".
- ^ Radio Free Europe. Archivedfrom the original on 2008-12-14. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ISBN 9781594200076.
- ^ Franco, Claudio (2004-12-07). "Despite Karzai election, Afghan conservatives soldier on". Eurasianet. Archived from the original on 2008-08-13. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
- ^ "Afghanistan: Vice and Virtue Department Could Return". Htw.org. 18 July 2006. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ "Afghanistan: Return of Religious Police a Step Backward". Uscirf.gov. 27 July 2006. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma; Makoii, Akhtar Mohammad (2021-09-07). "Taliban name all-male Afghan cabinet including minister wanted by FBI". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2021-09-07. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ^ Gannon, Kathy (2021-09-18). "Taliban replace ministry for women with 'virtue' authorities". AP News. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
- ^ "Taliban bars government employees without beards from work". New York Post. Reuters. March 28, 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ George, Susannah (7 May 2022). "Taliban orders head-to-toe coverings for Afghan women in public". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (7 May 2022). "Taliban order all Afghan women to cover their faces in public". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- Islamabad, Pakistan. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ Shelley, Jo; Popalzai, Ehsan; Mengli, Ahmet; Picheta, Rob (19 May 2022). "Top Taliban leader makes more promises on women's rights but quips 'naughty women' should stay home". CNN. Kabul. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ "Taliban to Enforce Hijab Decree Despite Protests". Voice of America. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ Gannon, Kathy (8 May 2022). "Taliban divisions deepen as Afghan women defy veil edict". Associated Press. Kabul. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ISBN 0-300-08340-8.
External links
- "New Afghan Officials Promise Gentler Enforcement of Islamic Moral Codes". Voice of America. 2002-08-19. Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2008-10-28.