Former Afghan jihadi leader and political figure Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf has issued a sharp public rebuke against the de facto administration’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, characterizing recent enforced detentions of women and girls as “shameful, dishonorable, and unjust.”
In a public statement addressed directly to de facto leadership, Sayyaf denounced physical enforcement operations conducted by morality inspectors, emphasizing that detaining women violates fundamental religious, cultural, and national principles across Afghanistan.
Public Rebuttal from Veteran Political Leadership
Sayyaf’s statement directly challenges the theological and moral justifications cited by de facto morality inspectors to police women’s clothing and public presence:
- Religious and Moral Violations: Sayyaf cautioned enforcement officers against physically confronting or detaining women non-mahram to them, stating that such aggressive interactions directly offend traditional Afghan honor and Islamic ethics.
- Rejection of Penal Custody for Women: Condemning the practice of placing women in detention facilities, Sayyaf warned that transferring women into state custody inflicts severe psychological damage and provokes deep outrage across civil society.
- Broader Political Friction: As a prominent veteran commander, Sayyaf’s public opposition underscores growing dissatisfaction among traditional religious and political figures regarding unilateral social decrees enforced by de facto authorities.
UNAMA Documents Systematic Detentions in Kabul and Herat
Sayyaf’s condemnation coincides with systemic findings published by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). In its quarterly human rights documentation covering July through September, UNAMA verified that de facto morality inspectors arbitrarily detained or cautioned over 50 women and a 13-year-old girl in Kabul and Herat provinces over alleged non-compliance with mandatory dress codes.
International observers note that such arbitrary detentions not only restrict basic freedom of movement but also subject targeted women to severe social stigma, further isolating them from public and economic life. UN bodies and human rights organizations continue to urge de facto authorities to immediately halt discriminatory dress-code enforcement and dismantle arbitrary detention practices.