Taliban official says women lose value if their faces are visible to men in public

By RIAZAT BUTT
Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban official says women lose value if their faces are visible to men in public, and that the only way to wear the hijab, or the Islamic headscarf, is if the face is hidden. Afghanistan’s Taliban government that took over the country in 2021 has cited the failure of women to observe the proper way to wear the hijab as a reason for barring them from most public spaces, including parks, jobs and university. The Taliban’s restrictions on girls and women have caused global outrage. But the official, from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, said Thursday that Afghans are in favor of the hijab.