Afghan women defy Taliban singing ban with online videos

Shafaq News/ Afghan women, both inside and outside the country, are posting videos of themselves singing in defiance of Taliban restrictions that ban women's voices in public.

Late last month, the Taliban issued a new set of rules aimed at curbing "vice and promoting virtue." The 35-article document includes a number of harsh measures, including a ban on women singing or reading aloud in public. Women are also required to cover their bodies entirely, including their faces, while in public spaces.

The restrictions have been met with international condemnation, with rights groups calling them "gender-based apartheid." Afghan women have also begun pushing back.

Videos circulating online show women singing outdoors, with some choosing songs that speak of defiance and strength. Others sing while dressed entirely in black, their faces obscured by veils. Hashtags such as "#MyVoiceIsNotForbidden" and "#NoToTaliban" accompany the videos.

Afghan women living abroad have also joined the online protest, posting their own videos in solidarity.

The new restrictions are the latest in a series of measures rolled back by the Taliban since they returned to power in 2021. Women and girls have been barred from attending secondary school, banned from most forms of employment, and restricted from using public parks and gyms.

The United Nations has called for the repeal of the new laws, describing them as "utterly intolerable."