In Afghanistan, Taliban diktat sparks debate about women?s attire

“Most women already wear a traditional chador [shawl or headscarf], so why is this even being raised.”Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice spokesperson Muhammad Akif Muhajir told Al Jazeera that because the hijab or burqa is a “Qurani order”, Muslim women should wear it.“If Sharia orders them [women] to do something they should act upon it,” he said, adding that the hijab or burqa could be “anything that a woman uses to cover her body… a hijab or the blue burqa or in some parts women use big shawls to cover themselves”.Despite there being no policy to impose the wearing of the burqa, nor punishments for women who do not adhere to the advisory, there have been sporadic reports of Taliban soldiers trying to enforce it.“These things tend to become problematic in the absence of clear guidelines and training for fighters,” said Obaidullah Baheer, a lecturer on transitional justice at the American University in Afghanistan.“When they [Taliban fighters] are given impression [by their leaders] to be responsible for morally policing the society, they are bound to abuse their authority,” he added.Some Afghan women dispute the Taliban’s claim that covering up – especially the face – is absolutely required for women.“The way I dress doesn’t contradict my religion,” said Kabul-based women’s rights activist Arifa Fatimi.Sonia Ahmadyar, a 36-year-old mother of three said: “I am completely against enforcing a certain dress code on women.