Afghan women are banned from hammams
di Marjana Sadat , di Marjana SadatSoon after the decision was taken, residents of Balkh province reacted to the news. A citizen who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Taliban cause fear and worries with this sort of actions
A new Taliban order prohibiting women from going to hammams, or public bathhouses, in northern Bahlk province has sparked sharp reactions. Bathhouse owners and women's rights activists in Afghanistan say it is a poor decision and it makes people worry even more about the Taliban.
The owner of a hammam in Mazar-e-Sharif, who wants to remain anonymous, talked to Aamaj News and said the Taliban have closed down some bathhouses in the province. He believes this is an unnecessary act and that the Taliban should tackle more important questions than these mundane issues. “Such an ordinary issue should not be the Taliban’s priority. We have bigger problems to…
A new Taliban order prohibiting women from going to hammams, or public bathhouses, in northern Bahlk province has sparked sharp reactions. Bathhouse owners and women's rights activists in Afghanistan say it is a poor decision and it makes people worry even more about the Taliban.
The owner of a hammam in Mazar-e-Sharif, who wants to remain anonymous, talked to Aamaj News and said the Taliban have closed down some bathhouses in the province. He believes this is an unnecessary act and that the Taliban should tackle more important questions than these mundane issues. “Such an ordinary issue should not be the Taliban’s priority. We have bigger problems to be solved. They should discuss more urgent issues at their meetings, not such a trivial one,” he said.
The news came when Sardar Mohammad Haidari, the provincial head of the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice of Balkh, after a meeting with religious scholars, called Ulama, announced that women have been banned from going to public bathhouses. Soon after the decision was taken, residents of Balkh province reacted to the news. A citizen who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Taliban cause fear and worries with this sort of actions.
“The Taliban should not take into consideration such trivial problems, there are other issues should be their priority. All our values are on the brink of collapse, and we have economic and political problems too. The Taliban administration should focus on that rather than on of these minor issues and scare people,” he said.
The residents complain the price of fuel has risen and women who cannot afford to take a bath at home go to public bathhouses. They want the Taliban to revise their decision. “Sharia law has mandatory duties, called Fard or Farz. These are obligatory, you must perform them. Actions called Haram are forbidden, and who performs them is subject to punishment. Actions referred to as Mubah may or may not be performed, there’s no punishment either way. For a woman to go to a bathhouse falls under Mubah. Women always respect Sharia law and culture when they visit bathhouses, so there is no problem. Moreover, people are facing economic problems, so they cannot do everything at home,” Mariam Nawandish, a women's rights activist, said.
The Taliban Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice says they have not reached any decision, and all allegations are baseless. “The ministry has not yet come to a decision,” Aakef Mohajer pointed out.
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