The Taliban: Will They Ever Change?

By Parvez Hafeez 2 January 2023 Translated into English by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam Don't The Taliban Realise That They Cannot Hope To Join The World Community On An Equal Footing Until They Respect The Fundamental Rights And Freedoms Of All Afghan Citizens, Including Women? Main Points 1. Why is the lady of Afghanistan denied this right to study while acquiring an education is a compulsory duty placed on both men and women? 2. In the country that has long been devastated by terrorism, war, and civil war, a new wave of terrorist assaults has also begun. 3. In recent months, bombings in madrasas and schools have murdered dozens of innocent boys and girls. 4. Women have historically suffered the most as a result of the Taliban's regressive acts, and this suffering still persists today. ----- Adela held her protest in front of the gate of Kabul University but it was stopped within 15 minutes ------ Girls in Afghanistan are no longer allowed to attend higher education institutions, as the Taliban leadership already forbade them from attending secondary schools. A new rule prohibiting women from enrolling in universities was announced last week. Why is the lady of Afghanistan denied this right to study while acquiring an education is a compulsory duty placed on both men and women? The recent news out of Afghanistan has been disappointing and depressing. Public flogging as a form of punishment has been reinstated. Recently, the victim's father was handed a gun and instructed to shoot the murderer in the southwest part of the country known as Farah so that he might exact his own retribution. At the invitation of the management, hundreds of spectators arrived to see this horrifying scene of a man being brutally murdered in a football stadium. In the country that has long been devastated by terrorism, war, and civil war, a new wave of terrorist assaults has also begun. In recent months, bombings in madrasas and schools have murdered dozens of innocent boys and girls. There have been attacks on the embassies of Pakistan, Russia and China, which are considered the sympathizers of the Taliban. While this game of craziness and terror is ongoing, the economy is also taking hiccups. The Taliban are acting as though they have promised to make everyone more wary and rebellious, instead of being successful in gaining the approval of the United Nations. The Taliban pledged to respect human rights, particularly the rights of women, as part of the deal they reached with the United States in Doha in 2020. When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of American troops in August 2021, their leaders led the world to think that they would impose a new moderate and fair government in which all residents would be treated equally regardless of ethnicity, language, creed, and ideology. The Taliban gave the assurance that girls will be granted the freedom to attend school, go to college, and work in order to calm Western fears about their long-standing attitude toward women. However, they broke their word. Islamic nations like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to the United States and the United Kingdom, strongly opposed the decision to forbid women from pursuing higher education and cautioned the Afghan government to exercise caution. In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry urged the Taliban to grant Afghan women all of their legal rights, the most crucial of which is the right to education, as it will boost security, stability, development, and prosperity in the country. The Taliban official claims that this decision breaches both Islamic principles and fundamental human rights. The Turkish Foreign Minister also referred to the ban as inhumane and un-Islamic. Saudi Arabia first acknowledged the Taliban administration in 1996, and since then it has gradually patronised and backed it. The Taliban could benefit from Saudi Arabian government policies that support women's education. Saudi Arabia has a larger proportion of female students than nations like India, China, and Mexico. In all Muslim nations outside of Afghanistan, girls and women are not prohibited from attending school or college. The fact that Afghan girls began to cry when they heard about the Taliban's most recent decision gives some indication of how engaged they are in education. Few people are aware that, prior to the Taliban assuming power in 1996, Kabul University had an equal number of male and female students and 60% female staff. 70% of teachers in schools and 40% of hospital doctors were women. Over 35 lakh girls are currently enrolled in school, and over the past 20 years, the country's female literacy rate has doubled. The Taliban announced a general amnesty during the Doha negotiations and after hoisting the victory flag over Kabul, giving the world the impression that they would give up their old ways and install a moderate, peaceful system in their second term of power where there would be no room for repression. In contrast to their claims and promises, the Taliban have demonstrated during the past seventeen months that neither their political or social outlooks nor moral principles have changed. They are committed to implementing the previous, radical policies throughout the entire nation. These are the same retaliatory actions that the world saw during their first five years in power (1996 to 2001), which included restrictions on everything from listening to music to shaving the beard. Women have historically suffered the most as a result of the Taliban's regressive acts, and this suffering still persists today. The reason given was that they used to show up to college dressed as if they were going to a wedding. Now that the Taliban mentality has taken hold, is there any room left for a reason? Is depriving women of education a special agenda of the Taliban? Does the Taliban have a license for the violation of women's rights? And the reason why, in the Taliban's eyes, only women deserve these closures and limitations is a question. The dictatorial decision of the Taliban is being criticized all over the world. The Taliban are having trouble breaking through Afghanistan's diplomatic isolation and winning over the rest of the world. Do they not comprehend that their most recent action will just make things more challenging for them? Don't they realise that they cannot hope to join the world community on an equal footing until they respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of all Afghan citizens, including women? ----- Urdu Article: The Taliban: Will They Ever Change? کیاطالبان کبھی بدلیں گے؟ URL: https://newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/afghan-taliban-women-education/d/128778 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism