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STORY: :: Kabul, Afghanistan

Afghan women inside...

:: Oslo, Norway

and outside of the country are singing on social media...

:: File

to protest against the Taliban’s strict morality laws that were formally codified last week.

Referring to a supposed time in the future when the laws are lifted, one anonymous woman sings:

“Will you seal the silence of my mouth until the second order? … You made me a prisoner in my home for the crime of being a woman…”

:: Kabul, Afghanistan

The 35-article morality law ranges from requiring women to cover their entire bodies and faces and men to grow beards…

to banning drivers from playing music or transporting women without a male guardian, a spokesman from the Justice Ministry said.

The rules were based on a 2022 decree by the Taliban's supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada.

:: File

The Taliban suspended Afghanistan's previous constitution when they took over in 2021 as foreign forces withdrew, and said they would rule the country according to Islamic sharia law.

Their restrictions on women and freedom of expression have drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups, and many foreign governments since.

Activist Hoda Khamosh spoke to Reuters from Norway.

"During these three years of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, they've had many plans to eliminate women, starting with closing the schools and universities, then taking work away from women. Now that the world does not officially recognize them, they are pressuring women. They want the world to recognize them by forcing women to adapt to their plans."

Western capitals, led by Washington, have said the path to formal recognition of the Taliban is largely stalled until they reverse course on women's rights and open high schools to girls.

The Taliban say they respect women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law and local customs and that they are internal matters that should be addressed locally.

Morality ministry officials have been monitoring Afghans throughout the country for alleged offenses for the past three years.

The ministry said this week that in the past year it had detained over 13,000 people, though it did not break down the alleged offenses or gender of the detainees.

It said around half of the detentions were for 24 hours.