KABUL: The Taliban government´s new law to “promote virtue and prevent vice” has codified their austere rules for Afghan society, dictating strict controls according to their vision of Islam.
In recent days there has been evidence of Taliban morality police enforcing the legislation, as well as Afghans self-policing to avoid conflicts with officials.
However, other elements are yet to be enforced and Taliban authorities have already been clamping down on behaviour they deem un-Islamic since surging back to power three years ago.
The text contains 35 articles. The most criticised dictates that a woman´s voice should not be raised outside the home and that they should not sing or read poetry aloud.
Unrelated men and women are forbidden from looking at each other, and women are commanded to cover themselves entirely in front of non-Muslim women.
Men are ordered to grow beards longer than a fist, wear loose-fitting clothes and not reveal their bodies between the navel and the knee. Sodomy is banned.
The media has been banned from mocking or humiliating Islam, transport companies told to alter schedules to fit prayer times and Muslims told they should not befriend or help non-Muslims.