Anam Zahra
THE DARK PAST
Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous countries for women. Even before the current Taliban rule, the country was the hardest due to its worst political and ethical environment. According to the survey by USAID’S Demographic and Health Programme 2015, 90% of Afghan women have suffered brutal violence by their husbands. The percentage is high and shocking but the most absurd part was that women who left their houses in protest were perceived as ‘highly immoral’ in Afghan society. The Government provided a little help by providing shelter homes but the authorities equally abuses the victims. Taliban’s 1996-2001 regime was a nightmare in terms of Afghan’s women’s rights who were allowed to leave the houses only in “all-covering Burqa”, a rule was forced by the extremists. Girls were not allowed to go to schools and thus took education in the “secret schools.” Women were beaten to death by the Taliban over the slightest actions like wearing wrong shoes or walking on the streets without burqa. Public lashings and death by stoning were part of regime’s laws. The militia members were involved in heinous crimes like, rape and sexual abuse whereas in rural areas, the practice of exchanging young afghan girls to settle the disputes or debts was common.
Taliban forced women to wear the burqa and not allowed them to leave their houses without a male guardian (mahram). Education, freedom of speech, walking on the streets, and employment were all forbidden under Taliban rule. Using afghan women as ‘sexual slaves’ in order to recruit young men. Taliban’s strategy of offering wives is a war crime according to Article 27 of the Geneva Convention which calls for the protection of women against the crimes like, rape and sexual assault.
Hence, the Afghan women’s lives were full of challenges long before the Taliban’s takeover.
THE TRAGIC PRESENT
The moment Taliban took control of Afghanistan, people around the globe saw the videos and photos of armed men patrolling the streets of Kabul and raising the slogans of freedom and victory. Taliban who claim to run Afghanistan with Islamic Laws are actually creating hostility and terror in the air of the country where women are not allowed to breathe.
While talking to TRT World, Afghanistan’s renowned Human Rights Activist Mahbooba Seraj said, “We, Afghans would like to say to the world, that they have left us in isolation, to the wolves in our country.”
The women are not yet permitted to return to their professional lives, especially the government sector. Moreover, the television female presenters are being forced to wear “modest clothes” or even Taliban wants them not to appear on screen anymore.
Taliban’s treatment of Afghan’s women would be a “red line” said the top UN Human Rights Official, Michelle Bachelet in her speech to the Human Rights Council. She further mentioned that she has received a several reports of violation against women and religious minorities of Afghanistan. Whereas, the circumstances are not good especially for female journalists, human rights activists, and academics.
“Taliban are just fooling the International Community” said Munera Yousufzada, a former Afghan Deputy Minister of Defense. The women Taliban the most and in order to get recognition to establish their dictatorship. Once, they achieve success, they will repeat their barbaric laws and policies that’s why every afghan woman has the fear of Taliban.
Lives of vocal Afghan’s women have never been easy as they are always on the target of extremists. Forced Marriages are one of the issues regarding Afghan women’s safety and now, Taliban who took control over the provinces of Badakshan and Takhar has ordered all the religious leaders to provide the data of the girls over the age of 15 and widows under the age of 45 for marriage with “Taliban Fighters.”
Some Afghan men are equally frightened for the safety of their female family members and relatives. According to Gul Muhammad, who fled Spin Boldak and took shelter in Pakistan, Taliban turned women into their slaves, committed adultery and also forced marriages. Hence, Taliban committed every crime against women in their previous regimes also. Under the Taliban rule, women’s rights to education, politics, speech and sports is an illusion or a fiction. Just a few days ago, Afghanistan Women’s National Team along with other female athletes evacuated to Australia. One must not forget that Taliban are not in a favor to see women in playgrounds or they call it ‘Un-Islamic.’ Khlaida Popal tweeted about her experiences of sleepless nights due to the security threats by Taliban. The professional players now hope for a better life which is possible only ‘outside Afghanistan.’
Taliban who want to govern with Islamic teachings are against women’s education despite the fact according to Islam, “Education is not only the right, but the duty of every Muslim male or female.” This is also another example that how Taliban restricts Afghan women to their basic right to education in the name of Islam.
Taliban know nothing about the meaning of progress for which women are contributing with their talents and ideas. Afghanistan’s Robotic Team which consists of girls as young as 14 have arrived in Mexico as there is no future of technology in Taliban’s Afghanistan.
Researchers of the nation are asset to guarantee a prosper future and betterment of the world but not in Taliban rule as many fear for their safety and education. An engineer at Avicenna University, a private institute which opened in 2010 in Kabul, mentioned that, “the future is very dark.”The Afghan Scholars see no future of science under the dark rule of Taliban and on top of that, they are also worried for their safety.
The lives of Hazaras have always been difficult and they have suffered violence, abuse and killings. The main cause behind the deep prejudice against them is that Hazaras are Shia-Muslims whereas, majority of Afghan are Sunni Muslims. The Shia-Sunni conflict is not new and has destroyed many innocent lives. Taliban who claim to rule with justice in actual operates with hatred against Hazaras because of their ‘identity.’ Last month, Taliban killed nine ethnic Hazara men in the province of Ghazni. Taliban rule is a vicious cycle for the religious minorities. The question now arises that, If Hazara men are suffering such brutality, and then what would be the level of cruelty against Hazara Women? A university student highlighted her fears as according to her being a girl and belonging to the “Hazara community” is not easy to survive under Taliban rule.“My life was normal until they took Mazar-i-Sharif. That day I realized we were finished. Then they got to Kabul. There was some gunfire in the city and we heard that the Taliban were in every neighborhood. Then, nothing was normal.”
Not in the past and not even today, Taliban rule has nothing peaceful nor progressive for the women of Afghanistan who are still facing social, political, economic, and psychological challenges. The comparative analysis indicates that the living conditions are still as deadly and exhausted as they were before and even today, there is hopelessness in the air.
Anam Zahra is a proud bibliophile and bookworm, She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from University of Karachi, Pakistan. As a researcher, her interests include investigating and analyzing international security, women’s rights, religious extremism, terrorism and climate change.
