Throughout history, women in Afghanistan have not been subjected to such humiliation as they are today under the black rule of the Taliban.
Author: Farshid Tawana, Analyst
Since the second half of August 2021, Afghanistan has fallen into the bloody clutches of the terrorists and occupiers of the Taliban and no section of the society has been spared the sting of this ominous and unpredictable development of events. Over the past two years, the Taliban have done nothing but arrest, imprison, torture and brutally kill citizens, especially employees and military personnel of the previous government. Women and girls as like as employees and soldiers of the previous government, were and continue to be victims of Taliban violence. The Taliban not only denied women and girls access to education but also imprisoned them and tortured those who took to the streets to demand justice. Restrictions on women's lives and deprivation of their access to fundamental rights and freedoms have not stopped, but continue at a faster pace than before.
The Taliban recently arrested and jailed a group of women and girls from Khairkhane, Taimani, West Kabul, and Jaghuri district of Ghazni province on charges of what they call "bad hijab" or "non-hijab." These women and girls went shopping in stores, were arrested by agents of the so-called “morality police” of the Taliban group, and taken to an unknown location. There is no information about their fate yet.
The arrests in Kabul and Ghazni caused a strong reaction and organizations such as Amnesty International, Afghan Center for Peace and Democracy, Freedom House and..., which condemned the actions of the Taliban, demanded the unconditional release of women and girls. Also, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, also responded and stressed the need for the early release of detainees. Some important personalities and figures of Afghan culture and politics also reacted in their own way, among whom the reaction of Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, which we will discuss below, deserves the greatest attention and consideration:
1 - Alienation of the Taliban from Islam
There is no doubt that the Taliban is an outwardly Islamist but essentially an extremist ideological group that feeds on terror, suicide, and bombings. The bitterness of this story is that the Taliban base their misbehavior on Islam and its teachings. However, this group is a blemish on the forehead of Islam and not the harbinger of this divine religion. The leader of the National Resistance Front made it clear that the Taliban's brutal behavior towards women is not only un-Islamic but also denies and violates Islamic values: “What is being carried out today under the name of Sharia against the noble and brave women of Afghanistan is incompatible with the principles and values of not only Islam but also with any other divine or human religion." Masud clearly stated that the misogynistic behavior of the Taliban cannot be compared with Islam and other divine religions, which are completely rejected and condemned in terms of human ideologies.
2 - The misogyny of the Taliban is unparalleled in history.
Indeed, Afghan society is traditional, but the place of women in it has always been special. If at some point women did not participate in government, then at least their dignity and position were protected. Afghanistan has had different political systems, as well as revolutionary and lightning events, compared to which the disaster after August 2021 is insignificant. However, during these events, the dignity of women was properly respected, except for the existence of the "black" rule of the Taliban.
Ahmad Masood also pointed out this important point and clearly said that the violence and oppression that the Taliban uses against Afghan women and girls has never been seen at any point in the country's history: “Afghanistan has gone through many bitter and difficult events. But the women of our country have never faced such levels of disrespect, humiliation, and crime.” What Masood says is the true story of Afghanistan's history; No matter how much you turn the pages of history, you will not be able to find a government that has oppressed women to the extent that the Taliban group has. This terrorist group arbitrarily arrests women and girls and locks them in solitary confinement; Something that violates Islamic, traditional, patriotic, and national values and generally has no analogues in the history of Afghanistan.
3 - Oppression of women shortens the life of the Taliban.
The Taliban group is not recognized by the population. If there is one thing that is impossible in Afghanistan, it is that the Taliban cannot find public acceptance. This group may be able to oppress people for a few days with weapons, but it will never be able to achieve popular satisfaction and acceptance. A group that is hated by the public, when its behavior results in nothing more than imprisonment and murder, it is clear that it will not last long. The abuse of women and girls is the spark that will soon turn the Taliban into ashes.
The leader of the National Resistance Front, understanding the sensitivity of public opinion to the need to preserve the dignity of women, noted that the Taliban's oppression of women would lead to the destruction of this group: “We believe that the Taliban is not Afghanistan's today, nor its tomorrow, nor its future, oriented towards freedom, justice, stability, and prosperity. Therefore, I declare that this group, by resorting to kidnapping and disrespecting women, signs a verdict for its speedy destruction and strengthens the motivation of resistance in the brave fighters for the dignity and freedom of Afghanistan.” According to Ahmad Massoud, the Taliban's oppression of women not only fuels the fire of popular anger but also doubles the motivation for resistance of fighters and brave people who consider the military option effective against this terrorist group.
4 - The slogan of "The Taliban have changed" is a pure illusion.
Some countries and groups have been promoting the Taliban for years and want to portray the terrorist group as tolerant, realistic, and peaceful. The irony is that the Taliban, since its creation by foreign intelligence, has done nothing except to promote and spread a culture of terror, suicide, bombings, misogyny, repression, monopolies, discrimination, ethnocentrism, etc. Over the past two years, Taliban's lobbyists have spent It is enough effort to paint a beautiful and spectacular face of the Taliban in the mirror of the world, but the wretchedness and horror of the image of the Taliban has been reflected in the eyes of the world more than ever before. This has kept the terrorist group from achieving greater legitimacy nationally and internationally.
That is why the leader of the National Resistance Front said that the oppression of women by the Taliban creates responsibility for those who propagate the benefits of this terrorist group. They will be ashamed before history and the people of Afghanistan: “I emphasize once again that turning a blind eye to the crimes and desecrations of this group is not only unforgivable and unjustifiable, but also is a part of the historical responsibility for the Taliban's crimes in Afghanistan, especially against the women of our country". It is directed towards the missionaries who call for patience and cooperation with this group." Massoud wants to say that the Taliban have not changed and propaganda in this regard not only does not benefit the people but also deepens the current crisis. The resistance front leader's message to the Taliban lobbyists is to observe the group's oppression of women, and then reflect on what kind of tolerance they promote towards this criminal group.
