Vice and Virtue Minister Defends Law, Challenges Global Scholars
Vice and Virtue Minister Mohammad Khalid Hanafi said some exiled groups are making baseless claims and spreading negative propaganda about the ministry’s activities.
Speaking at a gathering in Herat on the implementation of the Vice and Virtue Law, Hanafi said the groups are acting at the direction of foreign intelligence agencies and are trying to incite Afghans.
Hanafi said: “Some people use fake media outlets to spread negative propaganda against the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Some exiled mercenaries who sold their country, faith, ideology, and nation are still living as mercenaries. They incite people from abroad and fuel divisions, claiming there is oppression and brutality in Herat, that women’s rights are being violated, and that women are being harassed in the name of the ministry.”
He said the law is based on the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, and that implementing it is a shared responsibility.
Hanafi also criticized some human rights organizations, saying they remain silent over the killing of thousands of Palestinian women and children while exaggerating developments in Afghanistan.
He said: “If even one article of the Vice and Virtue Law is against Sharia, I will be the first to be held accountable. Before these respected scholars, we challenge the entire world. What is in this law? It requires women to observe hijab and men to conduct themselves in accordance with the Islamic system, Sharia, and the Sunnah. There is nothing in this law that contradicts Sharia.”
Herat Governor Sheikh Noor Ahmad Islamjar said every Muslim wishes to see God’s law implemented, adding that while the Islamic Emirate does not claim to have fully implemented Sharia, it is committed to doing so.
Some religious scholars and tribal elders attending the meeting called on vice and virtue inspectors to treat people with kindness and respect.
Hanafi also stressed that human rights are protected in Afghanistan within the framework of Islamic principles and said implementation of the Vice and Virtue Law would improve people’s lives and help address social problems.
