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Out of Work, Out of School and on the Run: Women’s Rights in Taliban’s Afghanistan

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Post capturing power in August last year; the Taliban claimed that under its regime, women would be awarded every right within the confines of the Sharia law. However, after witnessing the harsh restrictions imposed on women’s education, their right to employment, and even the right to ride a vehicle; it’s hard to believe that the Taliban will stand by its words.

So, what is the current state of Afghan women under the Taliban regime? How is the international community reacting? And is the worst yet to come?

How Are the Taliban Abusing Women’s Rights?

The past two decades marked an era of women’s empowerment in Afghanistan. Girls entered classrooms, females entered the workforce, became prominent political leaders, business tycoons, sports personalities, and whatnot. But, soon after the takeover, the Taliban succeeded in stripping away all the development done in the sector in a flash.

While the Taliban promised international observers that it would alter its stance on many human rights concerns; the organization has been accused of reverting to old patterns more than half a year into its rule. The Taliban has proven to be as restrictive and violent as many thought it would be on women’s rights.

So, here’s a glimpse of how the lives of women in afghan have changed over the year after the Taliban takeover:

The Dying Education Sector

Despite its claim and support of the right to education; most secondary schools in Afghanistan have been closed since August, at least for girls ages 13 to 18.

Officials previously promised that all students would be able to return to school by the end of March. However, on the reopening day, the Taliban took the orders back, pushing female students’ futures again into great uncertainty.

Afghan Students in a classroom
Afghan Students in a classroom

The majority of private institutions have reopened, despite teachers’ shortages. However, the new rules issued by the Taliban demand the classrooms be divided by gender, and there must be no mixing of men and women between classes.

Some government institutions reopened a few weeks ago under similar restrictions, although most barely had a trickle of female students.

https://mzemo.com/2022/03/27/afghanistan-girls-education-under-the-taliban-regime-hanging-by-a-thread/

Afghanistan: No Place For Women Employees

According to Talibani leaders, women can be allowed to work, but only if their workplace is segregated from men. In practice, however, women are essentially forbidden from working. Especially for the government, with the exception of particular fields like health care and education.

Even in the private sector, cases of harassment against women on their way to work often resurface. Moreover, Taliban intelligence officers often visit commercial firms to ensure strict segregation is maintained. As a result, several managers have fired female employees out of prudence.

Women at Work in Afghanistan
Women at Work in Afghanistan

Small women-only cooperatives have been able to survive in some locations, such as a jasmine processing plant in the historic western city of Herat; which has long been considered liberal by Afghan standards.

Despite this, the Taliban’s resurgence has rendered tens of thousands of Afghan women jobless, reversing two decades of social progress in diversifying all elements of their profession, from the police to the courts.

Personal Freedom

The Taliban made it mandatory for women to wear an all-covering burqa in public during their first term in office. Agents from the dreaded Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice are ordered to whip anybody discovered without one.

Last month, the Ministry distributed posters across Kabul “suggesting” that women wear the less restrictive hijab. Although images of women wearing the burqa accompanied the message.

Women were also required to travel between cities and towns with a male relative. Moreover, cab drivers were instructed not to pick up female customers unless they wore hijabs.

Prior to the Taliban’s return, the capital’s beauty salons and fashion stores were thriving, but they have all but primarily vanished. Meanwhile, in Herat, store mannequins were decapitated, and billboards depicting the human form were removed because they were judged un-Islamic.

Read More: Afghanistan: Taliban Orders Head-to-Toe Coverings for Women in Public Further Defying Human Rights

Women’s Rights Abuse: The Reaction of the International Community

The international community is condemning the Taliban’s draconian laws and abuse of women’s rights. Upon the recent decree mandating Afghan women to wear head-to-toe covering while stepping outside, the U.S. State Department spokesperson released the following statement

“We are extremely concerned that the rights and progress Afghan women and girls have achieved and enjoyed over the last 20 years are being eroded. We and many of our partners in the international community remain deeply troubled by the recent steps the Taliban have taken directed at women and girls, including restriction on education and travel.”

U.S. State of Department Spokesperson

The United Nations has also condemned the Taliban and believe the recent decree can further strain engagement with the international community.

Women activists in Afghanistan are raising questions about the laws imposed in the state against women’s rights. The activists fear that the Taliban is tracing its steps back on the same old regressive rule they followed during their regime from 1996 to 2001.

Is this the Kindler, Gentler Taliban Afghan Women Were Promised?

After reclaiming power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban promised a milder version of the brutal rule that characterized their first term in office, during which women’s rights were systematically taken.

Afghan Women Protesting Against Women's Right Abuse
Afghan Women Protesting Against Women’s Rights Abuse

However, despite its promises, Afghan women had little to no hope of a better Afghanistan, with the Taliban leading the government. The glorification of the Taliban’s policy was a way for the west to justify its act of bailing on Afghanistan. It was a mere consolation that the Taliban have changed, and now it will not enforce its draconian rules on Afghans.

However, as the regime is crushing the rosy glasses, the terror of the worst is resurfacing again. The terror of 2022 Afghanistan becoming the terror-stricken 1996 Afghanistan.

The Islamic laws do not force women to lose their identity as people. Instead, they empower women. Therefore, it is high time for the international community to take action against the atrocities of poor Afghans. Because the way the Taliban is treating its women citizen is anything but right.

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19.4 Million Afghan Women Struggling to Survive Under Taliban

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Afghan women

Women banned from schools and colleges. Women flogged in markets with dozens of spectators. Girls, as young as 15, mandated to wear complete body covering: These are the horrifying reality Afghan women are forced to live in every day. 

Rules of Sharia on Every Moment

Women’s freedom of movement and access to their bodies continue to be restricted in Taliban-run Afghanistan. The draconian group imposed huge barriers on women’s even basic needs: health, education, migration, and expression, depriving thousands of many of their right to earn a livelihood. 

Women in Afghanistan have already suffered the most significant losses due to the war and militarization. However, with the control of the Taliban over the nation, the future and dreams of Afghan women are collapsing drastically. 

Afghan Women: The Future Looks Dark 

The Taliban treat women and girls brutally, and they are forbidden from attending secondary and higher education. Migration and independent travel for women is prohibited. They are not even permitted to migrate or travel without a male chaperone. Girls as young as 13 are forced into marriage.

The Taliban administration has abolished the Ministry of Women Affairs in Afghanistan due to its extreme depravity. There are now no female cabinet members in the Afghan government, thereby ending political participation of 50% of the population.

Afghan Women
Afghan Women. Source: CNN

Following the takeover of Afghanistan, the schools and colleges were forcibly compelled to enact new regulations. It includes gender-apartheid entrances and classrooms. Only female professors or older men can instruct female students. Additionally, the authorities closed the Madressa that solely taught female students. 

The future of Afghan women appears bleak with such harsh restrictions and draconian rules. The local women have various aspirations. Young girls want to finish their education and pursue careers in large corporations. But at the moment, it looks gloomy and almost impossible for Afghan women. 

Lost Careers & Starving Families

Women-founded business is facing the worst time under Taliban.

Women investors have left their positions or hired males to do their business Women entrepreneurs claim they have invested thousands of Afghanis in the previous government but are currently compelled to close their firms.

The current environment prevents women from freely engaging in small-scale business or employment. Even when women are the only source of income for their families, Afghan women no longer dare to start their businesses.

If these conditions persist, many Afghan families will go hungry.

In Afghanistan, the handicraft industry thrived before the Taliban’s leadership, giving thousands of women jobs. Clothing, goods, and handicraft products were exported to Australia and New Zealand.

However, after the Taliban seized control, the industry went bankrupt due to a policy that discriminated against women and flying restrictions that reduced trade and affected the business adversely.

Afghan Women’s Lives at risk

The women’s crisis in Afghanistan keeps escalating — the restrictions, limitations, and dictatorship have gone too far ahead.

Due to a shortage of healthcare services, Afghan women face significant difficulties. They are restricted from visiting doctors without a male companion, and in some cities, women are not allowed to visit male doctors while the number of female physicians in the nation is closing to nil.

Collapsing Healthcare of Afghanistan
Collapsing Healthcare of Afghanistan. Source: Foregin Policy

Additionally, women and girls are denied access to healthcare, and reports even imply that they are subjected to assault with no means of fleeing. 

The restriction of female students from secondary and higher education violates their right to education and limits female students from reaching their full potential. 

Banning female students from getting an education increases child marriages, early pregnancy, abuse, and violence. 

Because when you stop 50% of the population from participating in the workforce, your economy falls. Health clinics are running out of medical supplies and professionals, schools do not have enough teachers, the economy is dying, and people at the bottom are bearing the brunt. 

Almost every house headed or led by women has lacked sufficient food due to the rise in fuel, food prices, and no source of income. The situation has worsened due to the drought and the war in Ukraine. It is difficult to see women becoming beggars along with their children.

The current situation of Afghan women is deteriorating in the virtual prisoner environment. Taliban restrictions have made women’s financial hardships worse. The lives of Afghan women are seriously at stake, and many women feel it would be better if they had died in the war.  

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The Silver Line But a Long Way Ahead 

UNICEF and NGOs are defending Afghan women and trying to help them as much as possible. The United Nations has repeatedly emphasized that it is committed to carrying out its mission in Afghanistan and promoting the rights of women and girls in the region.

UNFPA is enhancing its existence and helping women through Afghanistan socialism and is collaborating with national partners. UNICEF assumes responsibility for paying the teachers’ monthly salaries and providing them with the necessities for survival. UNFPA is also contributing its share to expand the provision of sexual and reproductive health services, again, for women in rural areas.

But it’s not enough, especially with Taliban banning female NGO employees from coming to work.

To rescue innocent women and children from this catastrophe, more social organizations must advance in light of their responsibility and the current state of Afghan women. 

The Taliban should be put under pressure by international organizations and governments to fully implement gender equality and defend the human rights of all Afghan women and girls.

Organizations must quickly realize that women should be given the reins for recovery, peace, stability, and basic rights. Unless that is, the lives of Afghan women continue to deteriorate, and their dreams continue to collapse EVERY SINGLE DAY!

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Suspending women’s college education by Taliban spells ignorance of Islam

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Taliban suspend college education for women in Afghanistan

It is with great sadness that I write about the latest shocking news from Afghanistan where the Taliban regime has decided to suspend college education for women.

A number of utterly unconvincing excuses were given to explain the sorry decree. These excuses ranged from the need to observe Hejab and modesty rules to financial hardships.

However, these justifications seemed too feeble and rickety to be taken seriously by friend and foe alike.

Predictably, traditional enemies of Islam in several Western countries wasted no time in lambasting Taliban in the strongest language and hurling all sorts of insinuations and innuendos at  Islam itself as if the Taliban regime were the ultimate paragon of God’s final testament to mankind.

I will not allow myself to be swayed or unduly influenced by the vindictive waves of Islamophobia coming from Washington, London and Paris. But the US, for example, is absolutely unfit to give humanity lectures on human rights. Indeed, the American empire needs hundreds of years to atone for its crimes against humanity,  carried out, with malice aforethought,  against the thoroughly savaged, thoroughly tormented and thoroughly impoverished people of Afghanistan. The American Yankees, whose ancestors, such as Andrew Jackson,  exterminated millions of native Americans and then had the audacity to  call the gargantuan genocide “Manifest Destiny,” and  designate a special day to celebrate the “victory” calling it a “Thanks-giving Day

Nor am I eager to further demonize Taliban, in which case, I would be effectively joining the ranks of Afghanistan’s many enemies.

Read Also: Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi :1926-2022

However, consistent with the lofty Islamic ideal of “al-Amr Bilma’ruf Wan-nahye Anel Munkar” (Propagation of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice), I feel compelled to address our Afghani brothers: “Brothers, you have made a grave mistake, education for women is not only perfectly compatible with all schoobls of Islamic thought and Jurisprudence,  it is actually an outstanding commandment in the Sharia of Muhammed (S) who said in the authentic Hadith ” Seeking knowledge (through education) is a duty incumbent upon every Muslim (man and woman). Again I am not invoking this Hadith to appease anyone. I am only trying to tell the truth for its own sake.

Suspending college education for women is incompatible with Islam   

This writer has consulted all major Muslim schools of thought, especially the Four Sunni schools of Jurisprudence (Hanbali, Hanafi, Maliki and Shafie) but couldn’t find a single text or credible opinion supporting the Taliban’s decision.

The opposite is true. There are compelling and overwhelming evidences showing that Islam accords ample attention to education for men and women alike.

The Prophet of Islam (S) said in the authentic Hadith “seek knowledge from cradle to grave.” This Hadith alone should be sufficient to prompt the Taliban leadership to reconsider this unfortunate decision, which has made Muslims a laughingstock around the world.

Azhar: Suspension college education for women violates the Rules of Islam

The Grand Imam of Azhar, Ahmed Tayeb reacted angrily to the Taliban’s decision to suspend college education for women, saying” the decision is manifestly erroneous and is a product of Ignorance.”

He cited a Major classical reference of Fiqh, namely Ketab “Tahtheeb-ul-Tahteeb” (roughly translated as  “Refining the Refined”),  which mentioned more than 30 Muslim women from the  Sahaba era (Companions of the Prophet), Tabi’in (the immediate generation after Sahaba) and the following generations,  who were Sharia scholars, theologians, historians, literary writhers, and poets.

Tayeb cited two other books titled ” Prominent Women”, the first by Zaynab Ameli, and the second by Omar Reda Kahala, which explained Muslim women’s contributions in various fields of knowledge. Tayeb added that the Taliban’s strange feat didn’t represent Islam in any way and actually violated the rules of the Quran itself.

Concluding his remarks, Tayeb appealed to Taliban to “immediately cancel the unfortunate decision and reopen colleges and universities for Afghan women.”

Islam is moderation and  moderation is Islam   

There are some Islamic groups who mistakenly think extremism and excessive radicalism make a Muslim a better Muslim. This is not true at all. Extremism is as harmful as indulgence and laxity.

Read Also :Muhammed: The Greatest Man to walk on Earth

According to the authentic Hadith, three men came to the Prophet to ask about religious obligations. One said: I fast every day, and never eat (in day time). The second man said: I devote myself to worshipping God and remain celibate. The third said: As for me, I pray all night long and don’t sleep. After the Prophet heard them, he said: As for me, I fast and eat, pray and sleep, and marry. He that shuns my Sunna (Way) is not my follower.

A moderate Umma   

The claim of moderation is not a public relations stunt intended to enhance Islam’s image as some westerners might be prompted to think. It is actually enshrined in the Quran and was encapsulated by the Prophet in his life.

In Surat al Baqara, verse143 (first part), we read:

وكذلك جعلناكم أمة وسطا لتكونوا شهداء على الناس ويكون الرسول عليكم شهيدا

“And thus we have made you a moderate community that you will be witnesses over humanity and the Messenger will be a witness over you.”

I believe the ball is now in the Taliban’s court, and I hope and pray that they will heed the sincere advice of Muslim Ulema to reconsider this un-Islamic feat. After all, this is not a controversial matter, and doing the right thing would dignify, not disgrace or embarrass, the Muslim movement. Doing the right thing is always right.

A final world 

 The decision by the Taliban regime to suspend college education for women in Afghanistan is apparently a symptom of a deeply stressful situation facing the country.

Afghanistan is being severely punished by the US, Britain and a number of other Western countries. The US is withholding hundreds of millions of dollars of Afghani funds  in American banks as a bargaining chip to force the Taliban regime to revolve in the American orbit and meet certain American demands. The money is urgently needed to overcome the harsh financial crisis facing Kabul.

Hence, the latest decision to suspend college education for women should be viewed as a  desperate SOS call by the radical Islamic group.

In light, Muslim states are strongly advised to offer Afghanistan every possible form of assistance to enable the country to stand up on its feet once again. Qatar has been generously helping the Taliban government ever since the movement came to power anew following the defeat and collapse of the American puppet regime earlier this year. 

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Death of Mahsa Amini: How Governments are Denying Women’s Right to Choice?

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Millions of Muslim women proudly wear Hijaab as a symbol of their religion. What makes them different from those protesting against obligatory hijab in Iran is the women’s right to choose.

But when you widen your horizon, you’ll realize that the dilemma of women’s right to choose is apparent across borders. Be it Iran, India, France, or the US, women are constantly fighting for control of their bodies.

The History of Pro- & Anti-Hijab Protests in Iran

Looking at Iran today, it can be hard to picture that only four decades ago, Iranian women were protesting for the right to wear hijabs. The pro-hijab movement sparked when Iran’s Reza Shah Pahlavi government outlawed any type of veil or head scarfs in an attempt to westernize the country.

At times, the government even forced a complete ban on hijabs, with police scrapping off women’s hijabs in public. During this period of Iranian history, the hijab becomes the symbol of freedom, revolution, and democracy.

The pro-hijab uprising brought down Shah’s government and put Ruhollah Khomeini in office. The Khomeini government, however, was far from ideal. By 1983, the new administration mandated the hijab for Iranian women.

Women were now forced to wear headscarves to an extent where they were punished with prison and even lashes for not abiding by the dress code. The worst phase started after 2005 when Dictator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad introduced the Morality Police; a police department made up of both men and women to keep an eye on women’s clothing in public.

All this brings us to 13 September 2022, when Mahsa Amini, a 22-years old Iranian Kurdish woman, was arrested for violating the hijab code. In police custody, she was subjected to brutal violence that ended up taking her life three days later, on 16 September.

And it was her horrific death that sparked Iran’s historic anti-hijab protest we are witnessing today.

Women’s Right: The Death of Mahsa Amini & the Dirty Politics

The death of Mahsa Amini has sparked unprecedented protests in Iran. Despite a visible crackdown by the Iranian security forces, which includes mass arrests and internet interruption; women are taking the movement to the streets at a scale never seen before.

However, let’s put protests aside for this article. Because what’s happening in Iran right now is much more than just women fighting for their right to choose.

There has been no shortage of individuals, groups, and foreign entities weaponizing these protests to push their political and geopolitical goals.

Many gulf countries, for example, are using these protests to push back the nuclear deal. Backing on the demonstrations, the Western governments, including the US and EU, are considering further sanctions on Iran — even though the economic sanctions have already caused more than enough problems for Iranian women and their families.

And above all are Islamophobes who are using the protest to criticize hijabs, Muslims, and Islam in general. But how is any of this going to help the protesting women in Iran?

Everybody is currently striving to further their agendas, while Iranian women are risking their lives on the street.

Iran and the US: Not So Different Countries for Women’s Rights

Although the US and the Iranian government have polar ideologies, the US is in no state to police Iran morally regarding women’s rights.

It is the US, where a 10-year-old victim of rape from Ohio is not allowed to go through an abortion because of the new state law. Women in the US are protesting against the blanket ban on abortion, with no hope for reforms.

On the other hand, the anti-hijab protest in Iran has reignited the hijab debate in India. Why is it so difficult for the Karnatak government to respect the choice of Muslim women students to wear a hijab to college? It’s absurd that these students have to fight their own government for their choice to be respected.

But be it Iran, Pakistan, India, or the USA, the debate remains the same: do women have the right to choose? Or is the word choice totally non-existential for women?

The Courageous Women of Iran

Women protesting in Iran are not again the hijab but against the imposition of the hijab. But when religion takes over governments, it creates an illusion of unlimited power. This is the case of Iranian authorities who are practicing absolute power by virtue of morality police.

But is it acceptable to restrain women against their will like literal goons?

What makes Iranian women so extraordinary is their strength and determination despite living in a theocracy that attempts to prosecute them. Even when their own government is trying to repress them, they are standing tall and fighting against injustice.

The protest that started with the death of Mahsa has now become an international movement for women’s right to choose. And, make no mistake, women are not alone here. Most Iranian male population stands with courageous Iranian women on the frontline against injustice in the name of religion.

Let Women Exercise their Right to Choice

Yes, when it comes to hijab rights in Iran, India, or the US, choosing the right side is not always straightforward. It’s complicated with numerous factors, including individuality, choice, and religion, at play.

But, on this divided internet, can we at least agree that punishing women for not wearing hijab is wrong and medieval?

We should stand with Iranian women protesting for their freedom, fundamental rights, and liberation. I will continue to speak against governments banning women from wearing hijabs and against regimes that force them to wear them.

Hijab or no hijab: how about we let women everywhere have the right to choose?

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