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Taliban bans television content featuring women

'These are not rules but a religious guideline,' a ministry spokesperson said

Representative image | Reuters

The Taliban, on Sunday, has banned shows featuring women actors from being aired on television. The extremist group that took over Afghanistan in August also called for a ban on content that went against Islamic values.   

 ‘’These are not rules but a religious guideline," Hakif Mohajir, a spokesperson for the ministry, told AFP.

 Comedy shows with content that might insult the religion will also be banned, the BBC reported. Leaders of the group also insisted that women reporters wear hijabs or cover their heads while reporting or anchoring.   

 According to a member of a journalists’ organisation in Afghanistan, Hujjatullah Mujaddedi said the new guidelines were impractical and would force broadcasters to shut down. 

The Taliban, who returned to power in Afghanistan after 20 years, had promised that women would be allowed to return to work, but, the group forbade women to return to work.

Other rules the group have devised include footage of men showing intimate parts of the body is prohibited. Foreign films that promote foreign cultural values should not be broadcast. 

In September, the Taliban prohibited girls from returning to school.