Taliban Enforces Strict Hijab Rules with Electric Shocks, Sparking Global Outrage

The Taliban in Afghanistan has been accused of using electric shocks as a method of enforcing strict hijab rules, sparking widespread condemnation from human rights groups and international observers. According to reports, women who fail to comply with the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic dress codes are subjected to violent enforcement measures, including electric shocks administered by morality police.
The Qur’an requires women to cover themselves to prevent male temptation, but the Taliban has taken this to an extreme, enforcing a hijab mandate that requires women to cover their faces in public. Women who violate these rules are detained, beaten, and shocked with electric devices. Eyewitnesses have described women being knocked unconscious as they resist arrest, while others report widespread use of these devices in women’s prisons.
Amnesty International has called for a global ban on electric shock devices, describing them as “inherently abusive” and capable of causing serious injury or death. International policing standards state that such devices should only be used as a last resort and in self-defense.
Victims, including young women and girls, have been detained for offenses such as improper hijab, begging, or having contact with men they are not related to. Nafisa, a 20-year-old woman, was shopping with her sister in Kabul when she was confronted by Taliban morality police. After resisting arrest, she was shocked and held overnight in a cold, dark cell with other women. Both Nafisa and her sister reported being deeply traumatized by the experience and required antidepressants for several months afterward.
The Taliban’s brutal enforcement of Islamic dress codes highlights the role of jihad theology in shaping its violent approach to governance, with women bearing the brunt of its extreme interpretation of religious law.

Published: 7/13/2025