Behind Taliban Dress Code Arrests, Afghan Activists See a Campaign to Silence Critics

Every time a woman steps outside, she must be prepared for the possibility that anything could happen. Credit: Learning Together.by External Source (kabul)Friday, November 06, 2026Inter Press Service KABUL, November 6 (IPS) - In Afghanistan, the Taliban are detaining women, even when they are wearing a hijab. Activists suspect that the issue of attire is merely a pretext used by the Taliban to hunt down critics of the regime. For women, Kabul is a city of fear. Whether they are heading to the doctor, the shops, or to visit relatives, reaching their destination is never certain.They fear checkpoints, the Taliban’s “morality police,” and the risk of being detained for wearing the “wrong” clothing or for lacking a male escort.For many women, leaving the house is a difficult decision. They are forced to consider what might happen if they are detained: Will I be able to return home? And if I do, will I still hold the same position within my family or community?According to Amu TV—an Afghan media outlet based in the United States—the Taliban’s morality police detained at least twenty women and girls in the Taimani neighborhood of Kabul in September.Some of those detained reported that th...