Gender apartheid in Islam
The United States spent decades in Afghanistan, spending
billions, only to leave the situation for women far worse than before. It’s
time for women around the world to be liberated from the imposition of archaic
rules and customs, such as the mandatory hijab in Iran and the severe lack of
women's rights in Afghanistan and throughout the Muslim world. The United
Nations should convene a meeting to encourage Islam to modernize its faith.
Women worldwide should displace men in key government
positions to bring order and sanity, correcting the mess men have created. This
approach aligns with a simple Persian prayer: "I praise the thought well
thought, the word well spoken, and the deed well done." It is worth noting
that the founder of the Sikh faith was a pioneer of women's rights.
When the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in August
2021, they initially suspended education for girls above the sixth grade until
conditions were deemed suitable under Islamic rules. Now, over 1,000 days
later, school remains off-limits for girls older than 12, and restrictions have
extended to universities. The Taliban claim education is an "internal
matter," leaving the future of girls' education uncertain.
Denial of education is only one of many Taliban decrees
against women. Female civil servants were instructed not to report to work, and
women are now barred from working at NGOs and humanitarian agencies, including
the United Nations. Many female-owned businesses, such as beauty salons, have
been shuttered. Women and girls must be accompanied by a male relative to
travel.
As a result, women and girls have been virtually erased
from public life, deprived of their most basic rights. Afghan women began
describing the Taliban’s policies as gender apartheid in the 1990s, and there
is a growing call to criminalize such policies under international law.
The Taliban’s institutionalized oppression is devastating
not only for the current generation of Afghan women and girls but also for
future generations. Boys, raised in a system that dehumanizes women, may follow
their leaders’ example and continue to mistreat women, becoming vulnerable to
radicalization, which poses security concerns beyond Afghanistan’s borders. The
Taliban's gender policies also severely deprive LGBTQ individuals of their
fundamental rights.
Despite these oppressive conditions, Afghan women and
girls are resisting. Some have protested in the streets, risking arrest and
violence. Girls with internet access, a minority, are taking online classes,
and female entrepreneurs are finding creative ways to circumvent restrictions.
It would be easy to leave these women to struggle alone,
claiming that the international community has done enough damage in
Afghanistan. But that would be a grave disservice to both the defiant women and
those without the economic capacity to fight back. We have an obligation to
meet their bravery with increased protection, support, and solidarity.
The upcoming meeting in Doha, Qatar, will discuss a
political path forward for Afghanistan. The agenda, however, focuses on
fighting narcotics and helping the private sector, excluding human rights and
women's issues. If these exclusions are the price of the Taliban’s presence in
Doha, the cost is too high.
The international community must insist on reversing the
restriction of Afghan women’s and girls’ rights, ensuring their meaningful
participation in decision-making, and holding the Taliban accountable. Having
these issues explicitly on the agenda in Doha would be an important first step.
The bravery, dignity, and perseverance of millions of
Afghans in the face of gross injustice must be matched by strong, principled,
and effective international leadership.
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