Afghan women protest against new restrictions

Kabul, Dec 29: In the wake of several new restrictions imposed by the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, several women staged a protest in Kabul calling for their right to education, employment and social freedom to be honored, the media reported.

In recent days, the Taliban's Ministry of Virtue and Vice issued a new directive that orders for women who are travelling long distances by road should be accompanied by a male relative, and they should wear a hijab, to cover their head and face, reports TOLO News.

The directive also banned playing music in the vehicles.

It also ordered shops not to show the heads of female mannequins as it is against the Islamic Sharia law.

During the protest on Tuesday, the participants raised slogans such as "we are the voice of hungry people" and "we are awake, we hate discrimination".

The protesters said that the Taliban are keeping women away from society by imposing such restrictions.

"How can we find a relative to go outside with in urgent moments? They said 'we are not responsible for your food', so pay our salaries and we can eat, we are not the women of two decades ago, we will not be silent," TOLO News quoted Wida, a protester, as saying.

"We gathered to raise voices against restrictions imposed on women; our schools are closed, they took away working opportunities, now they ordered us not to go out of our homes alone, they are talking about the rights described by Islam. Does Islam order that a nation should be hungry, does Islam say to forbid girls from education?" Shayesta, another protester, said.

The protesters also urged the international community not to ignore Afghan women.

"We are half of the society, we are human, we have the right to education and to work, I ask the international community to not recognise this government," Zahra, also a protestor, told TOLO News.

The protest however did not last long as Taliban forces fired in the air to disperse the demonstrators.