THE Taliban on Monday rejected concerns and criticism raised by the United Nations over new so-called vice and virtue laws that ban women in Afghanistan from baring their faces and speaking in public places.

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) chief Roza Otunbayeva said on Sunday that the laws provided a “distressing vision” for Afghanistan’s future.

She said the laws extend the “already intolerable restrictions” on the rights of women and girls, with “even the sound of a female voice” outside the home apparently deemed a moral violation.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the main spokesman for the Taliban’s government, issued a statement warning against “arrogance” from those who he said may not be familiar with Islamic law, particularly non-Muslims who might express reservations or objections.

“We urge a thorough understanding of these laws and a respectful acknowledgement of Islamic values. To reject these laws without such understanding is, in our view, an expression of arrogance,” he said.

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers on Wednesday issued the country’s first set of laws to “discourage vice and promote virtue.” They include a requirement for a woman to conceal her face, body and voice outside the home. 

The Taliban also ban images of living beings, such as photographs.

“After decades of war and in the midst of a terrible humanitarian crisis, the Afghan people deserve much better than being threatened or jailed if they happen to be late for prayers, glance at a member of the opposite sex who is not a family member, or possess a photo of a loved one,” Ms Otunbayeva said.

In response to the UNAMA statement, Mr Mujahid said: “We must stress that the concerns raised by various parties will not sway the Islamic Emirate from its commitment to upholding and enforcing Islamic law.”