KABUL
\nThe Taliban have banned families and women from restaurants with gardens or green spaces in Afghanistan\u2019s northwestern Herat province, an official said Monday. The moves followed complaints from religious scholars and members of the public about mixing of genders in such places, he said.
\nIt was the latest in a slew of restrictions imposed by the Taliban since they took power in August 2021. They have shut girls out of classrooms beyond sixth grade and women from universities, most types of employment, including jobs at the United Nations. They are also banned from public spaces such as parks and gyms.
\nAuthorities say the curbs are in place because of gender mixing or because women allegedly are not wearing the hijab, or Islamic headscarf, correctly.
\nThe outdoor dining ban only applies to establishments in Herat, where such premises remain open to men. Baz Mohammad Nazir, a deputy official from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue\u2019s directorate in Herat, denied media reports that all restaurants were off limits to families and women, dismissing them as propaganda.
\nIt applied only to restaurants with green areas, such as a park, where men and women could meet, he said. \u201cAfter repeated complaints from scholars and ordinary people, we set limits and closed these restaurants.\u201d
\nHe also denied reports that sales of DVDs of foreign films, TV shows and music are banned in the province, saying that business owners were advised against selling this material because it contradicted Islamic values.
\nShopkeepers who did not follow through on the advice eventually saw their shops closed, Nazir added. He also denied local media reports that Internet cafes have shut down in Herat, but said that gaming arcades were now off-limits to children because of unsuitable content. Some games insulted the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure in the Great Mosque at Makkah toward which Muslims turn when praying, and other Islamic symbols.
\n\u201cInternet cafes, where students learn and use for their studies, are necessary and we have allowed them,\u201d Nazir said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KABUL The Taliban have banned families and women from restaurants with gardens or green spaces in Afghanistan\u2019s northwestern Herat province, an official said Monday. The moves followed complaints from religious scholars and members of the public about mixing of genders in such places, he said. It was the latest in a slew of restrictions imposed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325107,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-325097","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n