VZCZCXRO5798
PP RUEHPW
DE RUEHBUL #2562 2621123
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 181123Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5562
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY

UNCLAS KABUL 002562 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR JWOOD 
OSD FOR SHIVERS 
CG CJTF-82, POLAD, JICCENT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PHUM AF
SUBJECT: TALIBAN-STYLE MORALITY BILL UNLIKELY TO SEE ACTION 
FOR NOW 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY.  Media reports citing a Taliban-style morality 
law drafted by some National Assembly MPs likely overstate 
the proposal's support in the Lower House.  The proposal 
gained notoriety in the media last week, as elements of the 
bill banning make-up, loud music, and dancing on television 
reached the public and caused an outcry among human rights 
groups.  However, several MPs and parliament staff members 
dismissed the bill as a proposal that will go nowhere.  Lower 
House Speaker Yunus Qanooni's staff told PolOff they had no 
plans to include such a bill in Parliament's agenda. 
Meanwhile, Afghan civil rights NGOs have mobilized to fight 
the bill should it move forward and are encouraging moderate 
MPs to better defend constitutional rights.  End Summary. 
 
Morality Bill Has Little Support Outside of Original Sponsors 
---------- 
 
¶2.     The bill, called the "Law to Fight Corruptions of 
Morality," includes a number of provisions reminiscent of the 
Taliban regime.  Among the measures the bill would enact are: 
banning women from wearing make-up and requiring a veil in 
public, banning female dancers from public events and 
television broadcasts, banning men from wearing "feminine" 
clothing, and prohibiting animal fights, billiards, video 
games, and loud music.  The bill also demands separate halls 
for men and women at wedding receptions.  Punishments in the 
bill range from small fines to lengthy jail terms. 
 
¶3.     According to multiple sources at Parliament, the bill 
lacks the support of most MPs.  According to the Afghan 
Constitution (Article 97), government ministries take the 
lead in introducing legislation.  In cases where MPs want to 
initiate bills themselves, at least 10 MPs must endorse the 
bill and convince one-fifth of a house's total MPs (about 50 
in the case of the Lower House) to agree to place it on the 
agenda.  Once on the agenda, every committee with a stake in 
the law needs to approve the bill before it comes up for a 
final vote; if approved, it moves on to the Upper House and 
then the president. 
 
¶4.  As of this week, 10 MPs had successfully moved the 
"Morality Bill" past the Counternarcotics Committee, whose 
members constitute most of the original sponsors, including 
chairman Mullah Taj Mohammad Mujahid (Kabul, Pashtun), a 
well-known religious conservative believed to be the lead 
drafter.  However, parliament staff members say the bill 
lacks support from other committee chairs, including National 
Economy Chairman Mohammad Daoud Sultanzoi (Ghazni, Pashtun), 
who told his staff his committee would not take any action on 
the bill.  Without a government ministry pushing the 
legislation, Qanooni's office does not expect the bill will 
reach the Lower House's agenda this year, if at all. 
 
NGOs Concerned, Plan to Lobby Against Bill 
---------- 
 
¶5.     Nilofar Sakhi, Open Society Institute (OSI) country 
director, said she was deeply concerned about the bill, 
characterizing it as "very dangerous" and "straight from the 
Taliban era."  Even if the bill does not become a law, she 
said it shows some MPs do not support the constitutionally 
guaranteed equality of Afghan women.  Representatives from 
several hundred Afghan civil society organizations met two 
weeks ago to discuss the bill.  Sakhi said after an emotional 
discussion, the representatives selected five legal experts 
to report on the bill's constitutionality and raise concerns 
that the bill would restrict women's freedoms.  OSI plans to 
work through NGOs to provide capacity building and advocacy 
workshops to MPs in an effort to strengthen the voices of 
moderate parliamentarians. 
WOOD