Taliban ban windows overlooking neighboring houses where women live

The de facto Taliban government in Afghanistan banned construction of windows in residential buildings that have views of neighboring houses where women reside, for reasons of privacy and in line with Islamic principles.

“Windows facing areas traditionally used by women in neighboring homes will be designed in such a way that they are blocked by walls or other means,” Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat told EFE this Monday.

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The measure was issued by the supreme leader of the fundamentalists, Haibatullah Akhundzada, along with another series of decrees “that aim to safeguard Islamic principles and the rights of sharia (Islamic law) of the neighbors,” added the Taliban spokesman.

It will apply to all newly built buildings, according to Fitrat, who did not clarify how they will determine whether or not a window has views of an area used by women, and therefore whether it should be blocked.

He also did not specify whether the order must also be complied with in the rest of the homes that have already been erected.

However, the directive calls for preventive measures to stop any construction that contradicts these guidelines and officials have been instructed to intervene and take necessary action against violators.

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According to the Taliban government, the new law aims to prevent disputes and foster harmonious relationshipspromoting the well-being of the community.

“It is a good order, today Kabul is full of tall buildings,” Surosh Ahmad, a resident of the Taimani neighborhood, in the northwest of the capital, told EFE, who assured that the privacy of the residents of the traditional houses ( lower) “is threatened by tall buildings.

However, other neighbors like Rasool Sharifi find the law “useless”, stating that Afghans have bigger problems.

AFP

“The Afghan people are facing many problems, including extreme poverty, hunger, economic catastrophe, unemployment, violation of human rights and thousands of other problems, while the Taliban leader works on building windows,” he assured.

The decline in women’s rights

Afghan women have suffered a severe setback in their rights since the Taliban came to power in August 2021.

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Fundamentalists have since banned female secondary and university education, and have forced women to cover their faces and always go out on the streets accompanied by a male member of their family.

This regression of rights is increasingly reminiscent of the position acquired by the Taliban during their previous regime between 1996 and 2001, when, based on a rigid interpretation of Islam and their strict social code known as Pashtunwali, they prohibited female attendance at schools and confined to women in the home.