The city forbids men and women from going to restaurants together, including husband and wife

AFP news agency said that although Afghanistan is a country with many strict rules and regulations, women and men still have the right to eat in restaurants. Especially in Herat - the city that is considered quite free in this country.

The strange bans of the Taliban government

However, since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed a series of strange laws to "fit their vision from a religious perspective".

In early May, the Taliban issued a decree requiring women when going to public places to wear full clothes from head to toe, or if they do not comply, they will be punished. And most recently, Herat city officials issued a requirement that "men and women must keep their distance in restaurants".

Before the Taliban took power, Herat was a fairly liberal city in the country.

Riazullah Seerat, an official at the Ministry of Virtue Promotion and Prevention of Evil, said the rule also applies to married couples.

An Afghan woman, who asked not to be named, said that when she and her husband went to a restaurant in the city of Herat, the manager there reminded them to sit apart.

Meanwhile, a restaurant manager named Safiullah shared that he has to comply with the regulations, but this "negatively affects business operations". "If the ban continues, I may have to fire all employees," the manager said.

 Afghan women on the street.

In addition, Mr. Seerat said, Herat city officials also issued an order requiring public parks to be segregated by gender. In it, men and women will go to the park on different days.

"Women will go to the park on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The rest of the week is for men." If women want to exercise, they can "exercise at home or choose a safe place," says Seerat.

Currently, women in Afghanistan are prohibited from traveling alone. They will be banned from flying without a male escort and must always cover their faces when appearing in public.

Herat is the third largest city in Afghanistan. The city is located in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan. Before the Taliban came to power, this was considered a fairly free city in the country because there were few restrictions.