Two weeks ago, the Taliban took another step to prove to the world that they haven't changed and issued new dress codes for women.

According to a decree by leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, women should again cover their faces in public.

While his decree was not a clear order to wear the notorious burqa, just official "advice" on wearing a hijab, it stressed that full body coverage was "the best" form of dress because it was "traditional and respectful."

The new rules, those in power proclaimed, would be enforced in two stages of "encouragement" and "punishment."

For example, if various reports over the past few days are to be believed, the encouragement is to deny entry to their university to female students wearing colorful headscarves (although the decree makes no mention of the color of the headgear).

Fear of educated women

So that no further misunderstandings arise, the Taliban have now extended their good advice to women in the public media: On Thursday, the emirate ordered the employees of all television stations to cover their faces in front of the camera.

The statement was "final and not up for discussion," Tolo News reported on Twitter.

The desperation at Tolo News is great: In an interview with CNN, editor-in-chief Khpolwak Sapai said that they had initially considered closing the station entirely, but then decided against it.

Moderator Khatera Arfa

said she was so stressed that she couldn't present her show properly.

"Even if we show up in a burqa, they might say that women's voices are forbidden.

They want to remove women from the screen.

They are afraid of educated women.”

Your colleague Yalda Ali

showed on Twitter how she interprets the new dress code and published a video in which she puts on her strict headscarf – and a respirator.

And made it clear what it means when a mask requirement is actually the sign of a dictatorship.

Still.

It may soon be seen as a much too moderate interpretation of the new commandment.

Then wearing a respirator mask (instead of the burqa) may become a courageous act of civil disobedience.