The women of the Emirate of Afghanistan have been banned from playing sport-cricket by the newly formed Taliban government who claim that any sport which reveals the bodies of women is prohibited in Islam.
Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission, said “I don’t think women will be allowed to play cricket because it is not necessary that women should play cricket.” In addition to this, he also said that the future of the women’s cricket teams is bleak.
Furthermore, he said “In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this.”
Wasif said “It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it. Islam and the Islamic Emirate do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed.”
The status of the national women’s cricket team of Afghanistan has been thrown into question as the Taliban have refrained them from playing cricket. Female athletes who formerly wanted to compete at an international level have resorted to concealing or fleeing the country.
A member of the women’s team said “Every woman playing cricket or other sports is not safe right now. The situation is very bad in Kabul.”
The Taliban’s position could jeopardize Afghanistan’s standing in sports. The International Cricket Council needs countries to have women’s teams to gain full membership, which Afghanistan did in 2017.
The Council has stated that it is monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and that, considering Wasiq’s statement, they are “concerned” about women being prohibited from the sport.
According to Tim Paine, captain of the Australian team, If the Taliban bans the women’s team then it will be “difficult to see” Afghanistan’s men in games such as the Twenty20 World Cup.
The Australian team on Thursday (9th September) said that they will cancel their test match against Afghanistan if the ban on women’s sports is true.
Senior Cricket writer, Melinda Farrell also confirmed the news on Twitter.
