Date: 05/08/1403

Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s Minister for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, has stated that it is forbidden for adult women to hear the voices of other adult women.
He declared that adult women are not permitted to recite or engage in religious chanting (tasbih) in the presence of other adult women.
In a recently released audio recording from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Hanafi emphasized the enforcement of the ministry’s regulations. According to the Taliban’s code of conduct, published on August 21, all parts of a woman’s body including her face and voice are considered ‘awrat’ (intimate parts that must be concealed), and therefore must be hidden. In the latest audio statement, Hanafi reiterated that adult women are not allowed to recite religious phrases or perform takbir (expressions of faith) in the presence of other adult women. He added: “Women are absolutely not allowed to recite aloud, sing, or perform songs. When an adult woman is praying and another adult woman passes in front of her, even saying ‘Alhamdulillah’ or ‘Subhanallah’ is not permitte. So how can singing be allowed when even takbir is forbidden.

The declaration by Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, head of the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, prohibiting adult women from hearing or using other women’s voices—including for prayer or religious recitation—represents an extreme extension of gender-based silencing. By classifying a woman’s voice as awrah even in all-female settings, the Taliban eliminate women’s ability to participate in collective religious practice, social interaction, and spiritual expression. This policy institutionalizes social isolation and erasure, transforming everyday acts of faith and communication into punishable offenses.