Four Years after the Taliban’s Takeover, “Morality Law” Imposes Harsh Religious Freedom Restrictions

Four Years after the Taliban’s Takeover, “Morality Law” Imposes Harsh Religious Freedom Restrictions
 

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released the following report on Afghanistan: 
 

Issue Update: Afghanistan - Assessing the Law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice – In August 2024, the Taliban introduced the law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, known colloquially as the “morality law.” This law expands on and imposes harsher punishments on all Afghans who fail to observe the Taliban’s struct religious interpretation of Islam. A year after the law’s enactment, this publication considers the religious freedom implications and the enforcement of its strict provisions in 2025, focusing on the repercussions for religious minority communities and Afghan women.
 

In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF highlighted the Taliban’s egregious religious freedom violations, including the introduction of the morality law in 2024. USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Afghanistan as a Country of Particular Concern, for its ongoing, systematic, and egregious religious freedom violations. 
 

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].