The Plight Of The Afghan Women Analysis

The laws made for Afghan women were much more brutal than those for men. Women could show very little to no skin if they were ever to go out in public. If they were to have a reason to go out in public, then they would need to have a mahram to escort them. If a woman was ever seen without a mahram, she could be punished in a number of ways.

Today in the post –Taliban era, women still struggle with their rights. Resolutions were produced and rights for women have advanced since September 11th but in order to move forward, much work needs to be done. Hundreds of years of repression for Afghan women will take a lot longer than a few years to actually revolutionize. There is violence towards women that are not practicing traditions customs and fear retaliations from the Taliban. Customs are difficult to change as well as government policies. (Bora Laskin Law). In Afghanistan, religious and cultural values, politics, and an uncertain acting government have played a major part in the struggle for women’s rights.

The Constitution that was created in Afghanistan during the 1920’s, stated equal rights for women and men. In fact, during the year of 1959, new policies created educational and career opportunities and voluntary removal of having to wear the burka. Women’s roles become similarly equivalent to male roles; they had the opportunity to acquire knowledge from universities, and were provided jobs in industrial, business, and entertainment settings. The atrocities that came about during the Mujaheddin and Taliban control were unheard of years prior, when women lived in peace and prosperity

Women are still being isolated today even though a new form of government is in use and has been fifteen years since the rule of the Taliban. “Life as an Afghan Woman” points out that “women are [still] often hidden and isolated. Islamic extremists insist that women and girls stay at home, and can only leave if they are fully covered and accompanied by a male relative.” Most women wear a burqa that completely covers their entire body, showing male dominance outside of the home as well. Women must cover themselves to avoid the possibility of men looking at them in an inappropriate way. Women have to dress in a head to toe burqa for the benefit of men. Also, the fact that girls live with their husband’s extended family often results in them being

After the war, the Taliban, a fundamentalist group, known for providing safe haven for Osama bin Laden, came to power. They were known for twisting Islamic law and filtering it to their needs. The Taliban showed no respect to women and despised them, giving them unjust laws with harsh consequences if broken. In the article, “Women in Afghanistan-The Back Story,” it’s stated that, “There were many other ways their rights were denied to them. Women were essentially invisible in public life, imprisoned in their home. In Kabul, residents were ordered to cover their ground and first-floor windows so women inside could not be seen from the street. If a woman left the house, it was in a full body veil (burqa), accompanied by a male relative: she had no independence.” Under the Taliban, women were locked up in their homes like prisoners, and not permitted to leave unless accompanied by a man. Women were already denied the right being involved with the war physically, and now they are being denied the right to actually leave their house physically. This “imprisonment” made it even harder for the women to be involved with the war, because they didn’t have the chance to go out and make a change when they were stuck in their homes. They couldn’t get involved with the war, or act on feminist rights because they didn’t have a chance! Because they were

– While the Afghan government and international community are working for women’s rights, since most women are illiterate, they are not engaged in the process. Thus the government has reduced women’s rights when it feels it is politically expedient: In February 2009 President Karzai signed a law which affects several key rights of Afghan Shi’a

1. Abu Lughod argues that the “liberation” from burqas, wanted by American women for Afghan women, is an extension of colonialism and western domination because the western women fail to understand what liberation is for the Afghan women. Western women think that the Afghan women are unhappy with their religion because it physically restricts them. On the contrary, Afghan women like their burqas because they feel it brings them closer to Allah. They also culturally disagree with the openness of American fashion. The idea that western women do not take into account the Afghan woman’s perspective on life, and automatically assume that they are trapped by their way of life, can be compared to America’s way of “helping” nations that they believe

Afghanistan is by far one of the most challenging places in the world to be a woman. During the rule of the Taliban in 1996 until 2001, women were treated with the upmost disrespect, worse than during any other leadership in the history of Afghanistan. They were living in a misogynistic society were they were confined to living in a house unless escorted by a male companion. They were not able to work or allowed to seek medical assistance from a male doctor. Under the Taliban regime, women are also forced to cover themselves completely from head to toe, even covering their eyes. Not only have these women lost their self worth but they have also lost any ounce of self-identity they had left.

Since the beginning of time, women have had to fight rigorously for basic human rights. In the western stratosphere, those human rights were achieved in the early 20th century, but in a lot of eastern countries the battle for the women is just beginning, or worse hasn't even started. Women in Afghanistan have been subject to heinous circumstances, even though their religion, Islam "demanded that men and women be equal before God,"(Qazi). Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner offers a very insightful view of the governing politics of Afghanistan pre-Taliban regime and during the Taliban regime, and the differing situation of women in both those eras. Based on the book and outside research, it is evident that the situation of women in

Hosseini addresses the prolonged government instability and how such conditions enable women’s rights to be denied. A particularly atrocious period was under the Taliban, when the right’s of women were openly denied and unprotected (Gender Inequality in Afghanistan). The Taliban imposed extremely strict interpretation of Islamic law, which included certain expectations for women and those who did not follow such strict protocol faced harsh punishments. Hosseini draws on this concept Farzana, Hassan’s wife, was attacked in the streets of Kabul as “A young Talib ran over and hit her on the thighs with his wooden stick…He was screaming at her and cursing and saying the Ministry of Vice and Virtue does not allow women to speak loudly” (Hosseini 216). The Taliban denied women opportunities to education, employment, and other aspects of social life (“Taliban”).

Many women during this time faced harsh treatment characterized by abuse and lack of equality. Although the Taliban feel that their treatment of women is justifiable through Sharia law however, there is nothing within that states that this treatment was justifiable. It is said that the treatment of women at the time was “consistent” with treatment in rural areas of Afghanistan that had been going on for centuries. Women in Afghanistan before the Soviet occupation and the Taliban was fairly progressive and in comparison to other countries such as the United States and England. They were able to vote and dressed in what many would call the latest fashion at the time and not on the conservative side. After the occupation of the Soviets and into the rule of the Taliban, women were not being granted the same status as men. It is common that when most people around the world think of women in Afghanistan they think of a woman in full body burqas. However, before the conflict in 1970’s Afghanistan had been relatively progressive. According to the article Women in Afghanistan: The Back Story, “Women were able to vote in 1919 and in 1950s purdah, gender separation, was abolished and in 1960s a new constitution brought equality to many lives and political participation.” Through Soviet occupation in the 1970s, civil conflict between Mujahedeen groups, and government forces this progression changed. Under Taliban rule, women in Afghanistan had their rights increasingly rolled back. The Taliban once in rule enforced their own version of Islamic Sharia law. This began with women and girls being banned from: going to school or studying, from working, from leaving the house without a male chaperone, from showing their skin in public, from accessing healthcare delivered by men, and from being involved in politics or speaking publicly. These bans were a complete change from what rights were

Afghanistan’s people have faced a number of frightening issues over the years. They have suffered through poverty, unemployment, a mediocre educational system, and most devastatingly, a long period of war. And though the whole country is affected by these conflicts, the many issues Afghanistan faces are especially unforgiving towards their women. While men are treated with the utmost respect, women are often treated with disregard of any basic human decency. In Afghanistan, women’s rights are severely restricted, and it’s sickening to see it still going on. Women, no matter where they live, should have the same rights as

Claim: Afghan women 's innovative and persistent demonstrations throughout history highlight that they are not merely victims of war, but rather that their contributions to society are a crucial aspect of maintaining peace in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is a landlocked country located within South and Central Asia. It is an Islamic Republic with the nation currently being led by President Ashraf Ghani. Afghanistan is a multiethnic society with a population of approximately thirty-one million people. In September 1996 to December 2001, the Taliban, a political movement, formed a government and spread throughout Afghanistan. They misinterpreted Islamic law and inflicted strict and unjust order amongst the Afghans, specifically women. Even after the Taliban’s fall from power, women are still being discriminated. Women’s rights in Afghanistan are violated, specifically in Article two of the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights, through rape, forced marriage, and self-immolation.

The most visible and public deprivation of rights for women in Afghanistan is the amount of abuse that Afghanistan women must endure. Afghan women are forced to live a life in fear of how a stronger, more powerful