THE Taliban movement was born in Afghanistan in the early 1990s, became very prominent and popular by 1994 and finally under the command of Mullah Omar took control of the country in 1996 and imposed their own version of Islamic Sharia. The Taliban rule came after almost twenty years of civil war and chaos in the country until the regime of Mullah Omar was toppled by the American invasion in 2001. Afghanistan was then ruled by the American installed regime until 2021 when the Americans left the country and the Taliban once again took control for the second time. During the first tenure and now in the second phase of the rule the very name Taliban is synonymous with obscurantism, fanaticism, bigotry and everything that is opposite to established human values, ethics and decency. The Taliban justify their behaviour and laws by referring to the laws of Islam and the rule of Sharia. One cardinal principle of the Taliban philosophy is a rabid form of misogyny and their strict and fundamentalist treatment of women and young girls. Women in Afghanistan are denied basic human rights or even civil rights. They are not allowed to study beyond grade 6, they cannot get any form of employment or travel anywhere without a male escort.
After the Taliban takeover their leaders had promised that this time they will be different and would like recognition by the world community but the reneged on all their solemn promises and imposed their rigid and fundamentalist form of rules on women. So far not a single country in the world has recognized the Taliban regime in Kabul. How ironic that the Taliban leaders have never considered the impact of their behavior on the Muslim community of the world especially on those Muslims living as minorities in Non-Muslim countries. The actions of the Taliban have provided the Western countries with a reason or excuse to target Muslims and to spread their ugly form of Islam phobia.
No invading power from anywhere in the world has ever been able to colonize Afghanistan. All invading armies have eventually suffered defeat had to leave the country, but the country has been attacked and occupied many times. The ground reality today is that Afghanistan is a shattered, ruined and divided society. There is no proper governance structure and the country is riddled with complex tribal dynamics. Moreover, the country’s history of conflicting ideologies and its struggle to align with the demands of the modern world, alongside a tendency to reinterpret Islam, have transformed it into a battleground for geopolitical interests. This environment allows these so-called invaders to exploit ongoing instability and internal rivalries for their own agenda. The Taliban seem oblivious to the lessons of history and simply refuse to learn from history. For them Afghan cultural values and their own interpretation of religion above everything else. They are unconcerned about fact that their behavior has earned them the hatred of the world community and has placed their country in the depths of backwardness. They do not realize that their rigid and fundamentalist attitude has pushed Afghanistan into poverty and suffering. They do not care if their attitude is resulting in starvation and isolation of their people.
The second stint of the Talban in Kabul began on 15th August 2021 and three years later Afghan women continue to suffer untold misery and are denied even their basic human rights all the name of Islam. Today a woman in Afghanistan is not allowed to sing or recite poetry or even speak out in Public fact is that the Taliban rule has erased their women from Public life. Religious injunctions of the Taliban mandates that women not only dress modestly but also cover their faces completely and should never be allowed to work alongside men. A woman cannot be recognized as head of a family and she cannot be accepted as an independent and thoughtful human being. They should maintain a good distance from their male counterparts, must remain isolated at home and refrain from stepping out to earn a living or to pursue their career aspirations. The ultra-orthodox and misguided decrees regarding women are a basic pillar of the Taliban philosophy and political agenda. The Taliban regulations seem to be rooted in tribal customs and a patriarchal way of thinking that seeks to subjugate women as lesser creatures meant only to satisfy the animal instincts of their male counterparts.
The treatment of women in Afghanistan is an insult to civilized norms of human behavior and also an insult to Muslims of the world. The ministry of Women’s affairs has been replaced by the Ministry for propagation of virtue and prevention of vice because the Afghan Govt. of the Taliban cannot stomach the idea of women living as equal to men. They cannot accept the contribution of women to national development, or their role in raising educated children. The anti-women policies of the Taliban are not only hindering their progress but also destroying the lives of future generations of Afghanistan. The Taliban have in fact declared war on their own women and this deadly war will be more harmful and devastating than any invasion by a foreign power.
Men in Afghanistan commit domestic violence, injure or even kill their female family members with impunity but women who suffer rape and other forms of violence end up being accused of moral crimes and adultery are at a risk of being stoned to death as punishment under the Sharia laws of the Taliban. It is very gratifying to see that the brave and dauntless women of Afghanistan are determined to reclaim their human and civil rights in spite of the harsh and draconian laws imposed on them. Women are fighting tooth and nail against their exclusion from public life, right to education and the right to earn a living and to speak their mind without fear. Afghan women are hoping that the international community will force the Taliban to behave like civilized people and adhere to international rules regarding the basic rights of women all over the world.
