The ‘second coming’ of the Taliban in Afghanistan initially promised a less restrictive regime, but, day by day, freedoms are being eroded, especially for women. The latest edict, issued by the administration, is to stop women working for local and foreign NGOs engaged in delivering humanitarian aid. The reason? Because some female employees had flouted the Islamic dress code.
The ban comes a few days after women were prevented from going to university, a move defended by Nida Mohammad Nadim, the Afghan minister of higher education. “We told girls to have proper hijab but they didn’t, and wore dresses like they are going to a wedding ceremony. Girls were studying agriculture and engineering, but this didn’t match Afghan culture. Girls should learn, but not in areas that go against Islam and Afghan honour.”
Having banned girls and all female staff, including teachers, from primary schools, there is now in effect a total ban on education for Afghani women. This is how men behave when they restrict their reading to the Quran, claim to know the mind of God, and have access to an arsenal of modern weaponry. The Taliban doesn’t represent a particularly extreme version of Islam. These men just take quranic injunctions literally, and are prepared to hand out punishments for any perceived infractions.
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