Faith
Taliban Enacts Slavery, Targets Women’s Rights
Faith Facts
- The Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has signed a new criminal procedure code in Afghanistan that restores slavery and installs a class-based justice system.
- The 119-article law assigns Afghans to categories like religious scholars, elites, middle class, and lower class, determining different penalties based on status, and explicitly acknowledges both “free persons” and “slaves.”
- The code strips away due process, expands corporal punishment, and heavily restricts women’s freedoms, while omitting basic legal rights and institutionalizing gender-based discrimination.
The new Afghan criminal code, implemented by the Taliban, undermines the God-given value of every individual by establishing both slavery and privilege based on class, in clear defiance of biblical justice and dignity for all. International observers warn this codification deepens human rights abuses and worsens persecution for women and Christians.
“The Taliban has now approved the return of slavery in Afghanistan. We must defund the Taliban,” Jim Risch, R-Idaho, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote on X. “Not only is it counter to US interests and an affront to all military members who served there, but the Taliban continue to slide farther backwards.”
This law enables harsh punishments for those who abandon Islam and tolerates only minimal consequences for abuse against women—policies that run counter to Christian teachings on the sanctity of women and family. High-level Taliban infighting on issues like education exposes instability and calls for prayer for those bravely providing underground education and hope to Afghan families.
Now more than ever, it is vital for believers to advocate for justice, support persecuted people, and shine the light of truth in the darkness. Let us pray for the restoration of freedom and dignity in Afghanistan and stand firm for righteousness in our world.