WORLD NEWS | Herat family, women Taliban restaurant garden

KABUL, April 10 (AP) — The Taliban has banned families and women from restaurants with gardens or green spaces in northwestern Afghanistan’s Herat province, an official said Monday.

He said the move followed complaints from religious scholars and the public about gender mixing in the places.

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It is the latest in a series of restrictions imposed by the Taliban since taking power in August 2021. They keep girls out of school past sixth grade and women out of most employment types including working at the United Nations.

They are also banned from public places such as parks and gyms.

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Authorities said the restrictions were imposed because of gender mixing, or because women were allegedly not wearing the hijab or Islamic hijab properly.

The ban on outdoor dining applies only to establishments in Herat, which remain open to men.

Baz Mohammad Nazir, a deputy official from Herat and the deputy ministry of virtue, denied media reports that all restaurants were off-limits to families and women, dismissing them as propaganda.

It only applies to restaurants with green spaces, such as parks, where men and women can meet, he said. “Following numerous complaints from academics and ordinary people, we restricted and closed the restaurants.”

He also denied reports that the province had banned the sale of DVDs of foreign movies, TV shows and music, saying business owners were advised not to sell such material because it contradicted Islamic values.

Store owners who did not heed the advice ended up seeing their stores close, Nazir added. He also denied local media reports that Internet cafes in Herat had been closed, but said the arcades are now off-limits to children due to inappropriate content.

Some games insult the Kaaba, the cubic structure of Mecca’s Grand Mosque that Muslims turn to during prayers, and other Islamic symbols.

“Internet cafes are a place for students to study and learn, it’s necessary and we allow it,” Nazir said. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)