Taliban Orders Afghanistan’s Women To Cover From Head to Toe

Muslim women in Afghanistan must be covered from head to toe, including their faces, the country’s Taliban rulers have ordered. The decree issued on Saturday says that women can only show their eyes and recommends that the women wear a traditional full burqa, or chadori. The decree also suggested that women without important work should remain at home, the Associated Press reported.

Women who do not follow the rules will receive a warning. If they continue to ignore the decree their male guardian will be summoned for punishment, which could include being jailed, the Washington Post reported.

The order has been framed by the Ministry of Virtue and Prevention of Vice as an order of the Quran, Allah, and the Prophet Muhammad. It comes after the Taliban has refused to reopen schools and universities to girls and women, and after it decreed that women can only travel with a male guardian.

“This decision contradicts numerous assurances regarding respect for and protection of all Afghans’ human rights, including those of women and girls,” the United Nations mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.

The last time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, in the 1990s, women also were required to wear head-to-toe covering.