More Than Two Million Herat Residents Held Hostage by the Decrees of 67 Taliban Virtue and Vice Officers
- Ariahn Raya
- Nov 17
- 2 min read
The city of Herat, home to more than two million people, has taken on an atmosphere of anxiety, suffocation and despair. Residents say daily life under the relentless decrees of the Taliban’s Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice grows narrower and darker by the day.
Only 67 employees of this department now effectively control the social life of millions of citizens, imposing bans on music, educational restrictions, enforced dress codes and even “beard measurements”, placing people’s private lives under the heavy pressure of their directives.
Residents of Herat say the historic city, once a centre of culture, art and commerce, has now turned into a “prison” whose bars grow thicker by the day.
“These people know neither religion nor human; they only issue orders.”
Shahla and Morsal, two young women from Herat, told Zan News that the social atmosphere has become extremely harsh and unpredictable.
Morsal said: “It is not only we, the girls; all people are trapped in the dehumanising decrees of this group.”
With a trembling voice, Shahla added: “The Taliban have turned life into a cage for the people. Even breathing has become difficult.”
The women say the officers of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice “have neither Islamic knowledge nor administrative experience”, yet they are effectively ruling over the lives of millions of citizens.
Religious scholars: “These decrees have no Islamic basis”
Meanwhile, Bilal Faizi, a religious scholar, reacting to these decisions, said: “There is no such instruction anywhere in Islam. What is being implemented in Herat today is arbitrary and baseless interpretation. Religion came for justice, not to play with the fate of the people.”
According to him, many of the decrees issued have no connection to recognised Islamic principles or sources, and have caused religion to be viewed negatively by the public.
Citizens: “From our beards to our clothing, everything is under control”
Farid Ahmad Jamal, a resident of Herat, spoke of the extreme and unusual monitoring by the Vice and Virtue officers: “Previously they only told us to grow a beard; now they measure our beards. They even draw up plans for how we should dress.”
He said the people of Herat face a new list of bans and obligations every day, with no room left for protest or even questioning.
