The Taliban has quickly moved to halt and roll back progress made by women in Afghanistan and as part of their attack on women’s rights, the radical Islamic group is now banning women from participating in sports, according to reports.
Deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, announced the new law to the Australian broadcaster SBS.
“I don’t think women will be allowed to play cricket because it is not necessary that women should play cricket,” Wasiq said. “In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this.”
He added that women’s sports were not appropriate or necessary.
“It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it. Islam and the Islamic Emirate [Afghanistan] do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed.”
The Taliban shaped their interim government and began work on Wednesday. Notably, none of the loyalist officials who shape the government include any women, even after officials promised to build an inclusive government shortly after retaking Afghanistan, according to The Guardian.
Officials from the U.S. Department of State expressed their own concerns about the lack of inclusivity in the official Taliban cabinet, adding that leadership would be held accountable based on its disturbing track record.
“The world is watching closely,” a state department statement read.
The European Union also slammed the Taliban for its lack of inclusion and failure to deliver on its promises.
“Upon initial analysis of the names announced, it does not look like the inclusive and representative formation in terms of the rich ethnic and religious diversity of Afghanistan we hoped to see and that the Taliban were promising over the past weeks,” an EU spokesperson said.
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