The Taliban’s Ministry of Propagating Virtue and Preventing Vice (PVPV) has said it will not co-operate with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
The statement came after the UN mission (UNAMA) warned that a new morality law, which states that women must fully cover their bodies and not raise their voices, might damage prospects for engagement with the international community.
The Taliban Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV), for its part, underlined that “due to its continued propaganda, the PVPV will not provide any support or cooperation with UNAMA, which will be considered as an opposing side.”
The UN Security Council directed UNAMA to engage with the Taliban authorities, including the PVPV, to whom the organisation has directly expressed its concerns about moral surveillance policies and enforcement practices. Taliban has consistently rejected international criticism of its policies, including condemnation of restrictions on women.
We want international organisations, countries, and those individuals who criticised the mentioned law to respect the religious values of Muslims and refrain from such criticisms and statements that insult Islamic values and sanctities, the ministry said on Thursday statement.
The 35-article morality law, published for the first time on 31 July, imposes a wide range of rules on men’s dress and attendance at prayers, as well as prohibiting the possession of photographs of living beings, homosexuality, animal fighting, and playing music in public places and on non-Muslim holidays.
The passing of the law may enable greater control over the population, as the law establishes differentiated penalties for non-compliance, which apply by the vice police in accordance with the PVPV; penalties include verbal warnings, fines and detention.
