By Kathryn Mannie  Global News
Posted August 29, 2024
Afghan women activists inside and outside the country have published videos of themselves on social media singing
revolutionary songs against the strict laws of the Taliban government. In one song, the singer asks “will you seal the
silence of my mouth until the second order?” referring to a supposed future Taliban order lifting restrictions. At the
end of the song, the singer concludes by saying that her voice is not “aurat,” a term which refers to something which
should be hidden from men with no relations.
Afghan women are raising their voices in song to protest restrictive laws enacted by the Taliban, which
ban women from singing and reading aloud in public.The laws were issued last week by the ministry for
the “propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice,” which was established in 2021 after the Taliban
seized control of Afghanistan. The 114-page document covers vast aspects of everyday public life, with
many notable restrictions on women’s freedoms.
It is now mandatory for women to veil their entire bodies, including their faces, at all times in public to
avoid temptation and tempting others. This means that the common Islamic head-covering, the hijab,
which covers the hair and neck but not the face, is no longer considered appropriate.
Women are also forbidden from singing, reciting and reading aloud in public, as a woman’s voice is
deemed “intimate” and should not be heard. It’s unclear if speaking is also banned.
After the laws were passed, Afghan women both inside and outside the country began posting videos of
themselves singing in defiance of the new laws. Some of the videos have gone viral on social media,
prompting a wave of others to join the peaceful protest. The lyrics they sing often touch on themes of
freedom.
Human Rights Watch researcher Fereshta Abbasi noticed one song in particular being repeated in
many protest videos:
Here we are, the women, the world,
Singing freedom like a bird
Rise up, my people,
Rise up, my friend.
Their boots might be on my neck.
Or their fists to my face.
But with our deep light inside
I will fight through this night.