The beautiful land of Afghanistan was once a cultural melting pot with its cosmopolitan history as a crossroad between Central Asia and South Asia. It was a land of multi-ethnicity with its rich traditions in Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hellenism and Islam.
For the past four decades, Afghanistan has been wracked by wars that were initially triggered by the invasion of the Soviets. The United States gave in billions of dollars to support insurgent forces called the Mujahedeen to fight against the spread of communism in Afghanistan. After the Soviets withdrew, parts of the Mujahedeen fought a Civil War. This led to the birth of the Taliban.
The Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist group that plunged Afghanistan into a brutal state of totalitarian dictatorship. While in power, the Taliban was internationally known for its notorious treatment of Afghani women, children and minorities.
Even after international pressure regarding sexism and misogyny, the Taliban continued to treat its women as second-class citizens. Sharia law was strictly imposed throughout the country where women had no choice but to observe the Hijab. They were not allowed to step outside without a male guardian. Women were stripped away of their basic human rights under the Taliban. They could no longer claim their right to education, healthcare and financial independence. Many women with treatable ailments were left to die as male doctors were not allowed to treat them and female doctors were banned.
After the tragic fall of Kabul in 2021, the people of Afghanistan fear for their life and freedom with thousands already fleeing the country. What does this mean to the women of Afghanistan? Will they tumble back to 1997?
Following the takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban held its first official news conference in Kabul. Zabihullah Mujahid, a senior Taliban leader promised that they would respect women’s rights, and even invite women to join their government but all this shall happen only under the framework of Sharia.
The women of Afghanistan do not buy any part of the statement. What about the time when Vice journalist Clarissa Ward interviewed a Taliban fighter? The time he laughed on her face when asked about women in politics?
Afghanistan was already an Islamic Republic with one of the most Islamic constitutions in the world but the Taliban argued that it wasn’t Islamic enough. Would the Taliban change this time? Will they let their daughters go to school? One could say that the Taliban is smart with their words. Experts are predicting that girls shall be given an education- but only in religious schools called Madrasas and only up to the age of eight but would otherwise remain illiterate.
Why is this harmful? Why does the Taliban limit women’s rights?
The modern world is aware of how education can change a nation and the Taliban are no different from them. They believe that education can help in bringing an Islamic order to the country. You might think about what the harm is in teaching the ways of Islam. But what happens when these young girls become a part of society? These girls would be stripping away other women’s rights. These so-called fundamentalists target the young who would later threaten the topic of women rights in Afghanistan.
In these Madrassas, girls are taught on a curriculum that is entirely based on Islamic subjects. They are taught to believe that a man is the boss and his wife is his employee. By conditioning young girls as per their interpretation of Sharia, they would not have to deal with independent thinking women in the future.
A curtain separates female students from their male teachers during lectures. This could lead the girls to think of themselves as nothing but an object of temptation for men. It is ironic to say that some senior teachers take some of their students as second wives despite the curtain.
They demonize western culture which inculcates racism. Young women are taught that the honour of their family lies in their modesty.
The boys that attend the school slowly start moral policing their sisters to cover themselves even at home. Some of them even forced their mothers to stop working and lecture them that the outside world is not a place for women.
Such mentality among the future women of the country is harmful for its men too. This teaches men that will not take responsibility for their barbaric actions but blame women for them. The children are encouraged to bring their neighbours and friends to also join the madrassas. The girls wear the black hijab with socks, gloves and a mesh covering the eyes (traditionally worn in Arab countries) rather than the traditional blue burqa of Afghanistan. A weekly seminar is conducted for older women that include presentations on how to fast, how to be a good wife, not to attend weddings with music and ban televisions in their households. These women go back to their villages and police other women about hijab and sinful activities.
The clerics of the school travel into the countryside to encourage more parents to enrol their children at their Madrassas. This is a huge network that runs throughout Afghanistan and call this era, the awakening of Afghanistan.
There were around 1600 unregistered Madrassas in 2014 in Afghanistan. Many families have taken their children out of the Madrassas by seeing the drastic change in their behaviour. Moderate Muslims are terrified to raise their voice against these schools as it could threaten their lives. For many Afghan women, this conservative outlook is suffocating. They believe that the madrassas are preaching women to be subordinate wives of Muslim men and in the name of Islam, young girls are taught to judge others, gossip and turn a blind eye while their men are involved in scandals, beheadings, lashings, rapes, and marrying off young girls against their will.
Many middle-class families move to cities like Kabul where life is easier without the Taliban’s influence in order to work and attend universities. Women’s rights campaigners were most concerned about these unregistered girls Madrassas. They blame the influence of Middle Eastern countries for the further restriction of women's rights in Afghanistan.
Around a third of the officially registered schools in the country do cater for girls and teach math and science. These schools were regularly targeted by the Taliban. They were often bombed, killing hundreds of children and teachers. Parents fear sending their girls to these schools in fear of their safety. The girls of the Madrassas have absolute hatred towards these schools and believe that they are influenced by the devil.
These Madrassas cost thousands of dollars to run. It is very fishy how these schools are funded. It is no secret that they have hidden political agendas and are receiving funds and protection from the Taliban. Women activists and politicians believe that Pakistan also plays a major role in supporting these Madrassas. The schools completely deny these accusations.
Afghan women in the 60s Afghan women now.
It was not always like this. In the 60s and 70s, women of Afghanistan wore western clothes and the blue burqa was a matter of choice. It is important to not villainize the Hijab. Modesty should be a woman’s choice but it should not be imposed as a law. The forceful imposition of the Hijab is a violation of women’s rights.
Now, is this true Islam? Absolutely not. These men believe in Patriarchy and use religion to achieve it. In Islam, women are permitted to make work and have full control over their income. The world’s Islamic scholars and the 55-member Organization of Islamic Conference do not recognise the Taliban as Afghanistan’s government. Even the ultraconservative organisation The Muslim Brotherhood based in Egypt denounced the Taliban and its interpretation of Islam.
These schools pose a threat to not just Afghanistan but the whole world. Taliban is now running the country, and has access to Afghanistan’s natural resources that are worth billions of dollars. They teach their children, the future citizens of the world, that apostates and non believers should be slain and to not rest until the whole world follows their interpretation of Sharia. They are taught to judge everyone who do not share their beliefs.
These schools have been operating for more than 15 years now, enough period to gather support for the Taliban in the more rural and conservative parts of Afghanistan. This is why a lot of Afghan men and women believe that the Taliban can bring about a truly Islamic country. But what will be the fate of Afghan women? With its record and constant effort to erase women's rights, the future of Afghan women remains uncertain but only time shall reveal it.
“As long as there is war against women, mankind will never know peace”
-Ayaan Hirsi Ali
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