Art Of Teaching

Afghanistan is an Islamic country. It is not a country with secular and moderate ideologies, but the most fundamentalistic one. 89% of Afghanistan’s populace which is the highest in the world support sharia law and want it to be the state law.

What does the Sharia law have for women?

• A violated woman or girl cannot affirm in court against her rapist(s).
• There is a requirement of testimonies of four male witnesses to prove rape of a female.
• If a woman or girl accuses somebody of rape without being able to produce four male witnesses, she will be held guilty for adultery,
• If a woman or girl is found to be guilty of adultery, the punishment is death.
•  On the other hand, if a male is found guilty of rape, he can have his sentence terminated by marrying his victim.
• Muslim men can have sexual rights to any girl or woman, who is not wearing the Hijab.
•  A woman can have only one husband but he can have up to four wives.
•   A girl after she has attained 9 years of age can be married by a man 0of any age and the marriage consummated.
• The clitoris of the girl child needs to be cut.
• A wife can be brutally assaulted by her husband for insubordination.
• A man can individually go for divorcing his wife; but for a wife to divorce her husband, his consent is required.
•  A woman who is divorced carries a stigma and loses guardianship of all her children who are over 6 years.
• If a woman testifies in court in property matters, her testimony carries only half the weight of a man’s testimony.
• As per inheritance laws, a female heir will get only half of what a male heir can inherit.
• A woman is not allowed to drive a car leave alone an aircraft, as it leads to fitnah (turmoil).
• No woman is allowed to speak alone to a man who is not her husband or relative.

I would like to present the views of Rahila Moska, a young Afghan woman poet from Helmand

“My love will gather us both together on the day of resurrection. Brutes have placed stones between us in this world.”

Jennifer Heath from Land of the Unconquerable says-

“Just as war is fought on the backs of women, peace rests on women’s well-being and strength, as well as on justice, good governance, and the rule of law.”

 The restrictions placed by Taliban and exploitation of women:

1. There is a complete ban on women working outside their homes except for a few female nurses and doctors.
2.  There is a total ban on women’s movement outside the home unless she is accompanied by a close male relative. (Father, brother or husband).
3.  Women cannot deal with male shopkeepers.
4.  Women cannot be treated by male doctors.
5. Women are stopped from studying in schools, universities or any other educational institution. Only religious seminaries.
6. Women need to wear a Burqa, which will fully cover them from head to toe.
7. Punishments of whipping, beating and oral abuse of women is rampant if they are not dressed in agreement with Taliban rules, or of women who are not accompanied by a male member. Women are punished even if their ankles are not covered.
8. If a woman is accused of having extramarital affair, she is publicly stoned to death.
9. Women cannot use cosmetics, or wear high heels.  If any woman has painted nails, their fingers are cut off.
10. Women cannot laugh loudly or shake hands with any males or ride in car or taxi with unknown males, without a close male relative.
11.  Women’s existence is prohibited in radio, television or public gatherings of any kind.
12.  Women cannot play any type of sports or enter any sports centre or club.
13. Women cannot ride bicycles or motorcycles, even if accompanied by close male relatives.
14. Women are forbidden from wearing brightly coloured clothes. In terms of the Taliban, they are “sexually attracting colours.”
15. Women cannot gather for festive occasions such as the Eid, or for any entertaining purposes. Also, women cannot wash clothes next to rivers or in a public place.
16. Taliban feels the need to modify all places named after women. Also, women are restricted from appearing on their balconies of their houses. All the windows of the houses need to be painted so that they cannot be seen from outside their houses.
17. No male tailors can take women’s body measurements or sew women’s clothes. Public buses have  tags of only males or only females.
18. Nobody is allowed to photograph or film a woman.  Women’s pictures cannot be printed in newspapers, books or hung in the house walls or shops.

Therefore, those most likely to be directly affected by the Taliban rule are women. Taliban is fundamentally an Islamic organization, die-hard and feudal in their approach. Their attitude and activities are not in tune with the world of the 21^st century.

The picture is clear that women in Afghanistan will be exposed to insensitive commandments, and have no right to education or any other fundamental rights or freedom. Women will be treated a part of possession. Already reports are been cited in the media that the Taliban has asked the village heads to make lists of unmarried girls over fifteen years of age and widows. The idea behind this is clear that these women will be sent to the Taliban camps to gratify and provide sexual relief and comfort to the male Taliban fighters .

I personally believe that the Taliban is a stunning case of what would result in if you try to settle scores with your adversaries by weaponizing religion. You will end up by producing a wild giant that will end up biting you, and everyone else around you.

The crimes of the Taliban are innumerable like refuting women their elementary rights and education, blowing up ancient relics, killing men, women and children, subverting the entire nation of Afghanistan and raiding millions of Afghans of their right to live calmly.

 The Taliban have time and again shown the world that they are not the type whom mankind needs to show any mercy regardless of the situations.

If anyone is feeling sympathy for the Taliban, then may he or she is doing injustice to the women and children of Afghanistan. Think of the repression they are facing at present and visualize their pain and agony.

As quoted by an Afghan Girl…….”I live in Afghanistan and I’m a girl…and let me tell u how it feels like to live here when you’re a girl…Well…As they say, LIFE IS A JOURNEY…but for a girl living here…life is the kind of journey where you’re thrown into a bus and the bus just moves on…YOU have no idea where the bus is headed…or where it will stop…you don’t even know who’s driving the bus…the drivers kind of keep changing…but EVEN THEN if the bus gets in an accident…it’s always the girl sitting in the backseat who will be blamed for the accident…”

SHOCKING INDEED!

Every Indian is prepared to the hilt as far as India is concerned. If the Taliban even dares to lift a little finger at us, we are prepared as we have been for quite a long time.

 I have nothing but anger for the American Presidency, who did not even blink an eyelid before telling the troops to leave the country. And now they have put the lives of all the women and children in danger and quietly shirked their responsibility. No country in the world will ever believe them and the repercussions will surely be seen in the next presidential elections as manslaughter of lakhs of innocents cannot be pardoned at any cost. 

I end by saying that Afghanistan actually needs a great person, a transcendent front-runner, whom they can believe in, to change the direction of the country. Until there is a real awakening I fear that even those outside of Taliban control have few predictions for the future.