A group of senior Taliban commanders has banned women from appearing in television dramas and movies to keep them out of “immoral” broadcasts.
In what is believed to be an attempt to give women a greater voice in the Taliban’s new Islamic state, the guidelines issued to a production crew last month call for a broad range of Taliban workers to be present for all actors, directors and writers during the filming of the TV shows, the BBC reports.
A communique signed by four commanders – Qari Bilal, Hafiz Hakimullah, Mullah Abdul Jabbar and Mullah Manan, said they “regret the importation of dramas to the Islamic Emirate which are opposed to Islamic Sharia. We direct all studios and production teams to strictly prevent the import of such vulgar films and dramas through threats of sharia.”
“To ban women from doing dramas or productions in the Islamic Emirate means that they are already not allowed in public. And yet, women still must be present for the filming of any production,” Yacoub Rizq, editor-in-chief of the Afghan Weekly, told the BBC.
The Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 by coalition forces, and however long-lasting their control of the country may be, they are now the main power base in much of the north and west.
Click for more from the BBC.