One of Afghanistan’s most well-known national parks has a prohibition on women visiting it imposed by the Taliban, according to The Guardian.
Taliban bans women visiting national park: In the country’s central Bamiyan province, Band-e-Amir is one of the national parks that thousands of tourists visit each year. It is situated in a magnificent scenery of sapphire-blue lakes and towering cliffs.
Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, acting minister of vice and virtue, reported that the ladies attending the park were not adhering to the right way to wear the hijab, which led to the announcement of the ban.
Mohammad Khalid Hanafi instructed security personnel to start barring women from entering the park, saying, “Going sightseeing is not a must for women.”
The ban was cited by Human Rights Watch (HRW) as the most recent limitation placed on Afghan women. After regaining control, the Taliban closed the majority of girls’ secondary schools, prohibited women from pursuing further education, and prohibited women from working or performing other jobs.
The most recent limitation limits women’s access to public spaces like gyms, parks, and bathrooms.
“Taliban’s Restriction on Women at Band-e-Amir: A Drastic Step Against Progress and Freedom”
According to Heather Barr of HRW, “I’ve heard more than one Afghan woman talk about how the Taliban won’t allow them to breathe next.” That seems over the top until you see what they’re actually doing, like attempting to prevent women from going outside and enjoying nature.
Following the hiring of four female park rangers in 2013, a first for the nation, the park took on significance as a symbol of progress. It has become the Taliban’s most recent policy in their ongoing campaign to exclude women from public life, which began two years after they retook control.
Barr stated: “Every home is turning into a prison as the walls are closing in on women.”
“Can someone please explain why this restriction on women visiting Band-e-Amir is necessary to comply with sharia and Afghan culture?” said Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on the state of human rights in Afghanistan.
The Taliban have long claimed that they uphold women’s rights in accordance with their view of Islamic law and Afghan tradition.
Barr claimed that it was difficult to think of any justification for the imposition of this prohibition. Other than cruelty, what other reason can you come up with? she questioned.
It’s a lovely area to visit since you can see families having picnics and laughing together, according to Barr. Further, The possibility for families to have a day out together, with the ladies in the family participating, is what the Taliban have just taken away.